Guillain-Barré Syndrome Mystery Deepens, NIV To Probe If Bacteria Strain More Aggressive As Case Tally Touches 140

While the campylobacter jejuni strain found in stool samples of patients could be indicative of the cause, the severity of the immune response that makes patients critically ill baffles scientists.

Pune's Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases reach 140 with 4 fatalities and 18 critical.

Source : PTI

The total number of cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Pune has touched 140, with 4 deaths till now, and 18 persons on ventilator, as on Friday 31 January. The increase in 10, as against 130 cases reported a day earlier is not of fresh cases, says the administration, and that they are a carry forward from earlier days. 

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune has its job cut out as its scientists probe the genomic sequence with intense scrutiny due to an anomaly found during the regular testing. According to a report in The Times of India the water testing for Compylobacter jejuni, the bacteria found in stool samples of at least five Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) patients in the city has yielded some unexpected results.  

While C. jejuni was found in the bodily excretion, the NIV scientists couldn't find them in the water samples, deepening the mystery surrounding the most important question: Why has GBS assumed such a fierce avatar, spiking the number of cases in the city?

Dr Samapada Patwardhan head microbiologist at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital reportedly told the Times Of India, "Mutations in the bacteria's genetic makeup can lead to increased virulence, changes in immune response, or even antibiotic resistance. By sequencing the bacterial genome and pinpoint any genetic alterations that may be making the strain more aggressive or triggering a stronger immune response. This may help us understand why some GBS cases in Pune have been severe."

NIV will then carry out tests to confirm if the patients in Pune were struck by the more serious strain. TOI also quotes Dr Shahzad Beg Mirza, microbiologist at Dr DY Patil Medical College saying that the key mechanism behind the GBS involves 'molecular mimicry; - exploitation by the bacteria of the similarities between bacterial components and human nerve structures - that can mislead the immune response to mistakenly train its guns on the nervous system and launch an all-out attack.

Dr Renu Bharadwaj, a retired professor and microbiologidt reportedly told the TOI C. jejuni itself does not cause GBS but triggers the immune response that attacks the nerves. "Not everyone exposed to C. jejuni will get GBS but triggers the immune response that attacks the nerves.

The writer is a senior independent journalist.