Neuro-infectious Disease Section

The Neuro-infectious Disease Section facilitates scientific research and promotes the understanding of neurologic infections in order to better diagnose and treat patients with those disorders.

Register Today for the Latest Advances in Global Neurology and Infectious Disease at the 2010 Annual Meeting

Make the AAN 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto your one meeting this year for the latest updates in your specialty. Set for April 10 through April 17, 2010, the Annual Meeting will be your best opportunity all year to discover the most cutting edge research and receive the most comprehensive education programming.

Don't miss these programs of particular interest:

New, Interactive Programming

Be sure and check out what else is new in this year's science and education programming. New courses and new, unique formats look to provide an interactive, individualized learning experience like never before! You can also search the entire education program to quickly and easily locate other programs of interest.

Save on Registration

Annual Meeting early registration—and its corresponding discounts—ends March 10, 2010. But you can save even more by becoming an AAN member. AAN membership saves you nearly $400* on Annual Meeting registration and course fees—that's nearly the cost of your membership dues alone! Plus, your AAN membership provides a host of invaluable benefits year round. Become an AAN member or renew your membership today and save!

Start Planning Your Week Now

Search the entire education program, book your flight, reserve your hotel, become an AAN member, and register now to save with early registration discounts before the March 17, 2010 deadline.

* Discount is based on active member status and early registration Annual Meeting rate. Discounts may vary for other member types.

2010 Annual Meeting Educational Programs

Educational and scientific programs are already being scheduled for the 2010 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario. Search for these programs by type, topic or keyword.

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Neurologists Asked to Monitor Patients for Post-Vaccine Related GBS

At the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Neurology is asking its member neurologists and other health care professionals to report any potential post-vaccine related cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder that may be associated with the H1N1 vaccine currently in production.

The AAN will host a series of webinars specially designed for neurologists and other health care professionals. These multimedia presentations will feature important information on reporting GBS and related cases, general facts about the disorder, and more.

Learn more about to report to VAERS, the webinar, and other resources on H1N1 and GBS.

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Letter from the Chair

Greetings from the Neuro-infectious Disease Section.

The section thanks Dr. Allen Aksamit, the outgoing chair, for his excellent leadership over the past three years, a time during which the section has substantially grown and is now on firm footing. An important and laborious task undertaken by the section over the last few months was the development of a strategic plan with short and long-term goals.

While the section has made substantial progress over the short time it has been in existence, it also faces important challenges. The importance of neurological infections has been highlighted in some recent publications that show a high burden of undiagnosed neurological infections in tertiary care hospitals with high morbidity and mortality rates. Additionally, there have been several reports of the occurrence of CNS opportunistic infections in patients with autoimmune diseases being treated with immunomodulatory therapies. Emerging infections also pose a major threat. This year at the AAN meeting in Seattle, four courses on Neurological infections and a hot topics plenary session on Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy were presented. However, compared to the meeting in Chicago in 2008, the total number of abstracts had decreased. This may in part be due to the geographical location of the meeting making it difficult for international colleagues to attend. Other challenges faced by our section include the lack of a formal national fellowship program for training clinical fellows in neurological infections, absence of tissue banks for neurological infections other than HIV infection, lack of access to diagnostic tools for many of the neurological infections and the virtual absence of clinical trials for most of these diseases.

The section has a listserv of the membership to improve communication between the members and a webpage that has been recently expanded in scope. It is our goal that the webpage will become an important resource for all clinicians for information regarding the management of neurological infections.

At the section meeting this year, it was decided that all subsequent meetings would be held on Tuesdays at noon during the week of the AAN meeting.

The AAN is the major meeting for presentation of clinical research related to neurological infections hence the membership is encouraged to participate by submitting abstracts to the next meeting in Toronto and by taking an active role in the activities of the section. I am truly committed to the cause of our section and welcome any suggestions from the membership.

Avindra Nath
Baltimore, Maryland

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News

The section now has over 120 members (pdf). International Members may be eligible for for reduced AAN membership dues. Neuro-infectious Disease Section Executive Committee members (pdf) serve three-year terms.

Neuro-infectious Disease Notes from the American Neurological Association Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland

Clinical Trials

Mefloquine for Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy

Clinical Trial of CNS-Targeted HAART (CIT2) Condition: HIV Infections

Other Open Studies in Central Nervous System Infections (From ClinicalTrials.gov)

Conferences

Did You Know?

The first World Meningitis Day was April 25, 2009.   

Many nationally reportable infectious diseases and bioterrorism agents involve the nervous system.

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Fellowships

Johns Hopkins University, Department of Neurology

Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Neuro-AIDS

University of California, San Diego, Neurotherapeutics in HIV

University of Liverpool, UK, Neurological Infectious Diseases

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Practice Guidelines

Bacterial meningitis

Encephalitis

Neurotuberculosis

Spirochete infections

  • STD Treatment Guidelines: Neurosyphilis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (pdf)
  • Diagnosis of Patients with Nervous System Lyme Borreliosis (Lyme Disease) (American Academy of Neurology) (pdf)
  • Treatment of Nervous System Lyme Disease (American Academy of Neurology) (pdf) (endorsed by the Infectious Disease Society of America)

Fungal infections (including CNS involvement)

NeuroAIDS

Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

Cerebral Malaria

Leprosy

Cerebrospinal Fluid

Other Topics

Last updated: February 22, 2010

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Other Neuro-Infectious Disease Links

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

NeuroAIDS

West Nile Virus

International Neuro-infectious Disease

Patient Support Organizations

Last updated: February 22, 2010

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Neuro-infectious Disease Section Listserv

The Section has a listserv for discussions of issues in neuro-infectious disease. Current section members who are subscribed to the listserv can post a question by sending an email to nid@lists.aan.com from their email application. All members must follow the AAN listserv rules and etiquette (pdf) when posting comments.

All questions and administrative requests about the Neuro-infectious Disease Section's listserv should be directed to Elizabeth Busch, Administrator, Grants & Research, at ebusch@aan.com.

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Get Involved with AAN Sections

The AAN offers many opportunities for members to get involved in Academy events and initiatives, from joining sections and work groups to writing and reviewing clinical practice guidelines. Events such as the Annual Meeting, regional conferences, and advocacy participation programs give members the chance to improve their skills, advance health care issues, and network with their peers.

Throughout this website, you will find contact information for AAN staff who can answer questions about their areas and help you get involved. If you would like to become a member of an AAN section, contact AAN Member Services at memberservices@aan.com or call (800) 879-1960 to indicate which sections you would like to join.

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Important: Update Your Membership Contact Information Today

Update your contact information today to be sure your address and other contact information is current. Don't miss out on important news and event information about your Academy, or your host of other AAN publications included with your membership that are designed to keep you up-to-date on the latest issues affecting you and your profession, your practice, and your patients, including the journal Neurology®, AANnews®, Neurology Now®, and more.

If you are a Junior member of the AAN who graduated in June, 2009, you will need to update your contact information in order to continue receiving important AAN communications and other valuable member benefits during your transition to Active or Associate member status. If you are continuing to a fellowship, contact AAN Member Services to be sure your member status is updated and you continue to receive Junior member benefits, including discounts on the RITE exam, free subscription to Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology®, and more!

If you want to update your section participation, contact AAN Member Services. View a list of AAN subspecialty or special interest sections.

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For More Information

Avindra Nath
Avindra Nath, MBBS, FAAN
Chair

Busch, Elizabeth's picture
Elizabeth Busch
Administrator, Grants & Research
ebusch@aan.com
(651) 332-8685