Acute Idiopathic Polyneuritis Caused by Cytomegalovirus

The herpes viruses of man, ie, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex, varicella-zoster, and cytomegalovirus (CMV), have been incriminated as causes of acute idiopathic polyneuritis (Guillain-Barré syndrome).1-4The evidence for the causative role of CMV has been based on rising or elevated titers of complement-fixing antibodies, isolation of virus from urine or saliva, or both.4-9However, CMV has been recovered from urine and saliva of apparently healthy individuals.10In addition, moderately elevated complement-fixation (CF) antibody titers can persist for years following a subclinical primary CMV infection. Therefore, previous evidence that associated CMV to acute idiopathic polyneuritis must be considered with some reservation. We report a patient with acute idiopathic polyneuritis from whom CMV was isolated from the peripheral blood buffy coat (PBBC) shortly after the onset of neurologic symptoms. In addition, specific CMV-IgM antibodies were detected in the serum. Concomitant with the cessation of viremia, CMV first was recovered