Cronobacter sakazakii DNA Detection in Cerebrospinal Fluid of a Patient with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Mimic Syndrome

A 45-year-old male noticed progressive weakness of the right lower limb with gait disturbance. Over the following months, motor deficits worsened, spreading to the right upper limb. Electromyography showed active denervation in the upper and lower limb muscles. A diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral scl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marianna Piombo, Daniela Chiarello, Marzia Corbetto, Giovanni Di Pino, Giordano Dicuonzo, Silvia Angeletti, Elisabetta Riva, Lucia De Florio, Fioravante Capone, Vincenzo Di Lazzaro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2015-12-01
Series:Case Reports in Neurology
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Online Access:http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/442520
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Summary:A 45-year-old male noticed progressive weakness of the right lower limb with gait disturbance. Over the following months, motor deficits worsened, spreading to the right upper limb. Electromyography showed active denervation in the upper and lower limb muscles. A diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was made. About 2 years after symptom onset, gradual improvement occurred. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis performed about 3 years after the beginning of symptoms identified Cronobacter sakazakii. Since no other possible causes were identified, we suggest that an almost completely reversible ALS-like syndrome had been triggered by Cronobacter infection in our immunocompetent patient.
ISSN:1662-680X