A Campylobacter infection that does not resolve on its own can result in many complications, including septicemia (bacterial pathogens in the blood, also known as bacteremia), meningitis, inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), urinary tract infections, and appendicitis.
“Each year, there are an estimated 2,628 to 9,575 people who develop Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the United States.” A sizable percentage of persons who suffer Campylobacter infections develop GBS. Since the vaccination programs have eliminated polio in the United States, GBS is the leading cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis. Over time, the paralysis is typically reversible; nonetheless, approximately 20 percent of patients with GBS are left disabled, and approximately percent die.
It is estimated that one case of GBS occurs for every 1,000 Campylobacter infections. Along these same lines, researchers estimate that between 20 and 40 percent of all GBS cases are caused by Campylobacter infections. Indeed, up to 40 percent of GBS patients have evidence of recent Campylobacter infection. “Assuming that 20 to 40 percent of all patients with GBS have prior Campylobacter infections, there are an estimated 526 to 3,830 new patients diagnosed with Campylobacter-associated GBS each year in the United States.”
GBS occurs when an infected person’s immune system makes antibodies against components of Campylobacter, and these antibodies attack components of the body’s nerve cells because they are chemically like bacterial components. Miller Fisher Syndrome is another, related neurological syndrome that can follow campylobacteriosis, and is also caused by a triggered immune response. Overall, Compylobacter infections appear to cause the greatest percentage of GBS cases.