Immunopathology of acute motor axonal neuropathy model

Carbohydrate mimicry of the lipo-oligosaccharide of Campylobacter jejuni by the human ganglioside is an important cause of acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN). At the initial stage of AMAN, primaty autoimmune attack occurs selectively at the nodes of Ranvier. By immunizing rabbits with gangliosides, the animals develop neurological disease identical to human AMAN. Immunopathology of this animal model suggest that the complement-mediated action of anti-ganglioside antibodies first appears at the nodal axolemma, then extends toward the internodal axons, and results in Wallerian-like degeneration.