CASE REPORTS

Bickerstaff’s brainstem encephalitis related to Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis

A M Hussain¹, N J Flint², S A Livsey³, R Wong⁴, P Spiers⁵, S S Bukhari⁶

¹ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
² Department of Anaesthetics, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
³ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
⁴ Department of Integrated Medicine, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
⁵ Department of Anaesthetics, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
⁶ Department of Clinical Microbiology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK

Dr S S Bukhari, Sandringham Building, Floor 5, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK; sayed.bukhari@uhl-tr.nhs.uk

Accepted 8 May 2007

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Campylobacter species are microaerophilic spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacilli which cause diarrhoeal and systemic illness in humans and animals. They are the most commonly identified cause of bacterial intestinal disease in the UK and elsewhere in the developed world. The bacterial cell wall of the organism contains an endotoxin which, when released, can result in acute enteritis and complications such as reactive arthritis, erythema nodosum, peripheral neuropathy, haemolytic uraemic syndrome and Bickerstaff’s brain stem encephalitis (BBE). Here we report a case of BBE following a gastrointestinal infection with Campylobacter jejuni. The patient presented with acute onset of confusion and ophthalmoplegia. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed lymphocytic pleocytosis and raised protein. This acute presentation was preceded by an episode of Campylobacter-related diarrhoea as confirmed by high titres of Campylobacter-specific IgM antibodies.

Over 50 000 laboratory confirmed cases of Campylobacter intestinal disease are reported annually in England and Wales.¹ Campylobacter jejuni . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Roos, R. P., Soliven, B., Goldenberg, F., Badruddin, A., Baron, J. M. (2008). An Elderly Patient With Bickerstaff Brainstem Encephalitis and Transient Episodes of Brainstem Dysfunction. Arch Neurol 65: 821-824 [Abstract] [Full Text]