Guillain –Barré Syndrome Associated With Zika Virus Infection: A Prospective Case Series From Mexico

Conclusion: Our results are similar to those reported from the state of Veracruz, Mexico, in which out of 33 samples of urine of patients with GBS two had a positive RT-PCR for ZIKV. Simultaneous processing of serum, CSF, urine, and saliva by RT-PCR may increase the success of diagnosis of GBS associated to ZIKV. Introduction In April 2016, a report of Epidemiological Surveillance for Zika virus (ZIKV) disease in Mexico reported 93 autochthonous laboratory-confirmed cases, collected between November 2015 and February 2016, and distributed amongst eight states of the country (1). In these patients, clinical manifestations were fever (96.6%), rash (93.3%), non-purulent conjunctivitis (88.8%), headache (85.4%), and myalgia (84.3%). No neurological manifestations were found among them. In 2015–2016, ZIKV infected individuals in South America, first in Northeast Brazil, rapidly disseminating to other South American, Caribbean and Central America countries, and reached North America by the end of 2016, with a parallel increase in cases of Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS) (2). Neurological disorders associated to ZIKV disease include now GBS, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, ophthalmic manifestations, and acute transient polyneuritis (3). Methods A joint study was implemented between the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico City, and the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry of Health, with the aim of prospectively identifying ZIK...
Source: Frontiers in Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research