Postmortem Findings in Patient with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Zika Virus Infection

Emerg Infect Dis. 2018 Jan;24(1):114-117. doi: 10.3201/eid2401.171331.

Abstract

Postmortem examination results of a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome and confirmed Zika virus infection revealed demyelination of the sciatic and cranial IV nerves, providing evidence of the acute demyelinating inflammatory polyneuropathy Guillain-Barré syndrome variant. Lack of evidence of Zika virus in nervous tissue suggests that pathophysiology was antibody mediated without neurotropism.

Keywords: Guillain-Barré syndrome; Puerto Rico; Zika virus; infectious disease pathophysiology; postmortem investigation; vector-borne infections; viruses.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Autopsy*
  • Coinfection / pathology
  • Coinfection / virology*
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / complications*
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / pathology
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / virology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Puerto Rico
  • Zika Virus Infection / complications*
  • Zika Virus Infection / pathology
  • Zika Virus Infection / virology