A case study of Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with Zika virus infection

Abstract We present the case of a patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with Zika virus infection. The patient has been studied since July 2019 in Jalisco, western Mexico, where this year an increase in the number of dengue virus and Zika virus infections was reported. One week after multiple mosquito bites, our 32-year-old male patient had a 5 day nonspecific picture of fever, myalgias, headache, nausea, and vomiting without a rash or conjunctivitis. A week later he presented neurological manifestations that consisted of distal dysesthesia, proximal muscle weakness, and ascending areflexic paralysis of rapid progression; multiple cranial nerves were involved. He was hospitalized and treated with intravenous immunoglobulin. He required admission to the intensive care unit after respiratory failure. He was intubated, placed on mechanical ventilation, and underwent a tracheostomy. He evolved favorably, and 50 days after hospital admission, he walked without support, reaching level 2 on the Hughes disability scale.