Absence of clonality of Campylobacter jejuni in serotypes other than HS:19 associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome and gastroenteritis

Guillain-Barre' syndrome (GBS) is recognized as a complication that occurs after Campylobacter infection. Certain Penner serotypes, such as HS:19, are linked particularly to GBS in some parts of the world, and there is good evidence for restricted genetic diversity in these isolates. However, GBS also occurs after Campylobacter infection due to other serotypes. Therefore, we asked whether Campylobacter jejuni non-HS: 19 serotypes associated with GBS have a clonal structure and differ from strains isolated from patients with Campylobacter gastroenteritis. A worldwide selected population of C. jejuni non-HS: 19 strains associated with GBS and gastroenteritis was analyzed by use of multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, automated ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and flagellin gene typing. The results show that these isolates represent a heterogenic population and do not constitute a unique population across serotypes. No epidemiologic marker for GBS-associated strains was identified.