NEW DELHI: The bacteria Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is being believed to be the cause behind the outbreak of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in the regions of Maharashtra, mainly Pune, official sources said on Thursday.
They said that bacteria Campylobacter jejuni has been found in 20-30 per cent of the samples taken from the GBS positive cases.
GBS mostly is a post-infection syndrome, which usually manifests itself two to six weeks after a person gets an infection.
"Lot of samples have been taken and are being tested at the NIV Pune. Bacteria Campylobacter jejuni has been found in 20-30 per cent of the samples taken from GBS positive cases and is believed to be the cause. But investigations are still on," a source said.
The bacteria is known to cause diarrhoea and linked to food and waterborne diseases.
The total of suspected and confirmed GBS cases in Maharashtra rose to 203 after five more infections were reported. The tally of confirmed cases is 176 and 20 patients are on ventilator support.
GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing.
The Pune region has so far reported eight deaths suspected to have been caused by the GBS.