Cryptosporidiosis — A Plausible Cause for Relapse of Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Abstract

A 25-year-old female presented on the acute medical take with rapidly evolving ascending weakness, sensory loss, and areflexia after a prodromal diarrhoeal illness, ultimately critical care admission, tracheostomy, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. The patient had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) six years previously, treated with intravenous Immunoglobulin, and discharged after a five-day in-patient stay without mechanical ventilation. On this occasion, a diagnosis of recurrent GBS was made, supported by cytoalbuminological dissociation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Investigations for infective precipitants were negative aside from a stool culture, positive for Cryptosporidium spp. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) two weeks earlier. There are no previously reported cases of GBS due to cryptosporidiosis on PubMed. The patient was treated with a course of IVIG and discharged from critical care after 66 days, requiring ongoing neurorehabilitation, which is likely to be prolonged.