Neuroinfectious Disease Division 

A broad range of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections have the potential to affect the nervous system, either directly or indirectly. The Division of Neuro-Infectious Diseases provides care for patients with neurologic complications of infectious diseases and conducts research on the causes, natural history, and management of these disorders. Our work is fueled by the remarkable population of patients we care for at Boston Medical Center, which both includes one of the largest HIV/AIDS program in the New England area and has a particular commitment to serving the needs of immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers. Our neuro-infectious diseases practice is therefore enriched for neurologic complications of HIV/AIDS, including opportunistic infections such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, toxoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis; and geographically restricted infections that are otherwise uncommon in the United States, such as neurocysticercosis and tropical spastic paraparesis. Dr. Cervantes-Arslanian has additional training in stroke and neurocritical care and has particular expertise in neurologic complications of COVID-19, infectious causes of stroke, neurosurgical infections, and infectious in the Neuro-ICU. Dr. Anand has additional training in neuroimmunology and has particular expertise in encephalitis, myelitis, neurologic complications of immunosuppression, and neuro-inflammatory complications of infectious diseases. Our primary aim is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neuro-infectious diseases through patient care, expert consultation, education, and research. Please reach out for opportunities to collaborate.

Specific areas of current research:

  1. COVID 19
    1. Characterizing neurologic complications of hospitalized patients with COVID-19
    2. Observational study of recovery post-COVID including development of neurologic complications and those with “long-haul” COVID
  2. Infectious Endocarditis (collaboration with CT surgery, cardiology, infectious disease, and addiction medicine)
    1. Characterizing neurologic complications in tricuspid valve disease
    2. Investigating acute stroke treatment options for IE related stroke
  3. Neurocysticercosis
    1. Looking at treatments and outcomes specifically for subarachnoid neurocysticosis
  4. Infection in Hospitalized patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury (collaboration with NCC, Neurosurgery, and Trauma Surgery/Surgical Critical Care)
Research Faculty

Anna Cervantes-Arslanian, MD and Pria Anand, MD in collaboration with colleagues in the Division of Infectious Diseases, the Immigrant Health Center, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, and throughout the Department of Neurology.

Grants:
  • Pria Anand: Simon Grinspoon Junior Faculty Research Grant
  • Anna Cervantes-Arslanian: Site PI for Impact of Fever Prevention in Brain Injured Patient (INTREPID)
Selected Publications:

Busza A, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Kase CS. Clinical Reasoning: A 32-year-old woman with right-sided numbness and word-finding difficulties. (Chagas Disease) Neurology 2014;83(9):e98-e102. PMID:25156357

Mukerji SS, Misra V, Lorenz D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Lyons J, Chalkias S, Wurcel A, Burke D, Venna N, Morgello S, Koralnik IJ and Gabuzda D. Temporal Patterns and Drug Resistance in CSF Viral Escape Among ART-Experienced HIV-1 Infected Adults. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2017;75:246-255. PMID: 28328546

AbdelRazek MA, Gutierrez J, Mampre D, Cervantes-Arslanian A, Ormseth C, Haussen D, Thakur KT, Lyons JL, Smith BR, O’Connor O, Willey JZ, Mateen FJ. Intravenous Thrombolysis for Stroke and Presumed Stroke in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adults: A Retrospective, Multicenter US Study. Stroke 2018 Jan;49(1):228-231. PMID:29273597

AbdalKader M, Xie J, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Takahashi CT, Mian AZ. Imaging of Intracranial Infections. Semin Neurol 2019 Jun;39:322–333. PMID: 3137886

Asundi A, Lin N, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Barbosa F. Infectious Myelitis. Semin Neurol. 2019 Aug;39(4):472-481.PMID: 31533188

Shulman J and Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Infectious Etiologies of Stroke. Semin Neurol. 2019 Aug;39(4):482-494. PMID: 31533189

Sader E, Moore J, and Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Neurosurgical Infections. Semin Neurol. 2019 Aug;39(4):507-5-14. PMID: 31533191

Carneiro TS, Awtry E, Dobrilovic N, Fagan M, Kimmel S, Weinstein Z, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Neurological Complications of Endocarditis: A Multidisciplinary Review with Focus on Surgical Decision Making. Semin Neurol. 2019 Aug;39(4):495-506. PMID: 31533190

Anand P, Hotan GC, Vogel A, Venna N, Mateen FJ. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: A 25-year retrospective cohort study. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2019 Nov; 6(6).

Anand P, Mukerji SS, Thon J, Gunaratne S, Cho TA, Venna N. Steroid-sparing agents for the treatment of inflammation in complicated neurocysticercosis. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2019 Nov; 6(6).

Moloney PB, Hutchinson S, Heskin J, Mulcahy F, Langan Y, Conlon NP, Linas BP, Takahashi C, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Possible N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody-mediated encephalitis in the setting of HIV cerebrospinal fluid escape. J Neurol. 2020 Jan 20; PMID:31960135

Anand P, Slama M, Kaku M, Ong C, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Zhou L, David W, Guidon A. COVID-19 in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis. Muscle & Nerve. 2020;62(2):254-258. PMID: 32392389.

Cervantes-Arslanian A*, Lau KHV*, Anand P, Shulman J, Ford T, Takahashi C, Daneshmand A, Nguyen T, Suchdev K, Abdennadher M, Saxena A, Macone A, Perloff M, Zhu S, Greer M. Rapid Development and Dissemination of Protocols for Managing Neurology Inpatients with COVID-19. Ann Neurol. 12 May 2020. PMID: 32395831.

Ford T, Curiale G, Nguyen T, Aparicio H, Hamlyn E, Gangadhara S, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Greer D, Romero JR, Shulman J. Optimization of Resources and Modifications in Acute Stroke Care in Response to the Global COVID-19 Pandemic. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020 Aug;29(8):104980. Epub 2020 May 23. PMID: 32689645

Anand P, Sader E, Dashkoff E, Murugesan R, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Daneshmand A. Seizure as a Presenting Symptom of COVID-19. Epilepsy and Behavior. July 2020;112:107335. PMID: 32739397.

Anand P, Zakaria A, Benameur K, Ong C, O’Shea S, Putnam M, Greer D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Myoclonus in Patients with COVID-19: A Multicenter Case Series. Critical Care Medicine. Anand P, Zakaria A, Benameur K, Ong C, O’Shea S, Putnam M, Greer D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Myoclonus in Patients with COVID-19: A Multicenter Case Series. Critical Care Medicine. Crit Care Med. 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32804787.

Nguyen T, Jadhav A, Dasenbrock H, Nogueira R, Abdalkader M, Ma A, Cervantes-Arslanian A, Greer D, Daneshmand A, Yavagal D, Jovin T, Zaidat O, and Chou S. Subarachnoid hemorrhage guidance in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic – An opinion to mitigate exposure and conserve personal protective equipment. J Stroke Cerebrovasc. Dis. 2020 Sept;29(9):105010. Epub. 5 June 2020. PMID: 32807425.

Anand P, Lau KHV, Chung DY, Virmani D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Mian AZ, Takahashi CE. Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in Patients with Coronavirus Disease. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020 Nov; 29(11): 105212. PMCID: PMC7392153. PMID: 33066908.

Carneiro T, Dashkoff J, Leung LY, Nobleza COS, Marulanda-Londono E, Hathidara M, Koch S, Sur N, Boske A Voetsch B, Nour HA, Miller DJ, Daneshmand A, Shulman J, Curiale G, Greer DM, Romero JR, *Anand P, *Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Intravenous tPA for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients with COVID-19. J Stroke Cerebrovasc. Dis. 2020 Nov; 29(11): 105201. PMCID: PMC7383145.

Nwajei F, Anand P, Arasa VCA, Aparicio HJ, Behbahani S, Curiale G, Daneshmand A, Dasenbrock H, Mayo T, Mian A, Nguyen T, Ong C, Romero JR, Sakai O, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Cerebral Venous Sinus Thromboses in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020 Dec;29(12):105412. 2020. Oct 19. PMID: 33254367.

Pavesi F, Cervantes-Arslanian A, Suzuki K. A case of paraneoplastic encephalitis arising from concurrent thymoma and stage I adenocarcinoma of the lung. Archive of Clinical and Medical Case Reports. 5 (2021): 048-053.

McEntire CRS, Rimmer K, Jia D, Cooper E, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Mateen FJ, Anand P, Thakur KT. CNS disease with JC virus infection in adults with congenital HIV: a retrospective case series. AIDS. AIDS. 2021 Feb 2;35(2):235-244. PMID: 33394671.

Nguyen TN, Haussen DC, Qureshi MM, Yamagami H, Fujinaka T, Mansour OY, Abdalkader M, Frankel M, Qiu Z, Taylor A, Lylyk P, Eker OF, Mechtouff L, Piotin M, Lima FO, Mont’Alverne F, Izzath W, Sakai N, Mohammaden M, Al-Bayati AR, Renieri L, Mangiafico S, Ozretic D, Chalumeau V, Ahmad S, Rashid U, Hussain SI, John S, Griffin E, Thornton J, Fiorot JA, Rivera R, Hammami N, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Dasenbrock HH, Vu HL, Nguyen VQ, Hetts S, Bourcier R, Guile R, Walker M, Sharma M, Frei D, Jabbour P, Herial N, Al-Mufti F, Ozdemir AO, Aykac O, Gandhi D, Chugh C, Matouk C, Lavoie P, Edgell R, Beer-Furlan A, Chen M, Killer-Oberpfalzer M, Pereira VM, Nicholson P, Huded V, Ohara N, Watanabe D, Shin DH, Magalhaes PS, Kikano R, Ortega-Gutierrez S, Farooqui M, Abou-Hamden A, Amano T, Yamamoto R, Weeks A, Cora EA, Sivan-Hoffmann R, Crosa R, Möhlenbruch M, Nagel S, Al-Jehani H, Sheth SA, Lopez Rivera VS, Siegler JE, Sani AF, Puri AS, Kuhn AL, Bernava G, Machi P, Abud DG, Pontes-Neto OM, Wakhloo AK, Voetsch B, Raz E, Yaghi S, Mehta BP, Kimura N, Murakami M, Lee JS, Hong JM, Fahed R, Walker G, Hagashi E, Cordina SM, Roh HG, Wong K, Arenillas JF, Martinez-Galdamez M, Blasco J, Rodriguez Vasquez A, Fonseca L, Silva ML, Wu TY, John S, Brehm A, Psychogios M, Mack WJ, Tenser M, Todaka T, Fujimura M, Novakovic R, Deguchi J, Sugiura Y, Tokimura H, Khatri R, Kelly M, Peeling L, Murayama Y, Winters HS, Wong J, Teleb M, Payne J, Fukuda H, Miyake K, Shimbo J, Sugimura Y, Uno M, Takenobu Y, Matsumaru Y, Yamada S, Kono R, Kanamaru T, Morimoto M, Iida J, Saini V, Yavagal D, Bushnaq S, Huang W, Linfante I, Kirmani J, Liebeskind DS, Szeder V, Shah R, Devlin TG, Birnbaum L, Luo J, Churojana A, Masoud HE, Lopez CY, Steinfort B, Ma A, Hassan AE, Al Hashmi A, McDermott M, Mokin M, Chebl A, Kargiotis O, Tsivgoulis G, Morris JG, Eskey CJ, Thon J, Rebello L, Altschul D, Cornett O, Singh V, Pandian J, Kulkarni A, Lavados PM, Olavarria VV, Todo K, Yamamoto Y, Silva GS, Geyik S, Johann J, Multani S, Kaliaev A, Sonoda K, Hashimoto H, Alhazzani A, Chung DY, Mayer SA, Fifi JT, Hill MD, Zhang H, Yuan Z, Shang X, Castonguay AC, Gupta R, Jovin TG, Raymond J, Zaidat OO, Nogueira RG. Decline in subarachnoid haemorrhage volumes associated with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2021 Mar 26. PMID: 33771936.

Anand P, Zhou L, Bhadelia N, Hamer DH, Greer D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Neurologic Findings Among Inpatients with COVID-19 at a Safety-Net U.S. Hospital.” Neurology: Clinical Practice, (in press).
25. Lau KHV*, Anand P*, Greer D, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Phicil S, Moore J, Takahashi C. Leveraging Trends in Neurology Admissions for Departmental Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Neurohospitalist. (In press)

Abdalkader M, Shaikh SP, Siegler JE, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Tiu C, Radu RA, Tiu VE, Jillella D, Mansour O Y, Vera V, Chamorro A, Blasco J, Farooqui M, Thau L, Smith A, Ortega Guiterrez S, Nguyen TN, Jovin TG. Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Study and Review of the Literature. J. Stroke Cerebrovasc. Dis. Accepted.

Sader E, Abdalkader M, Thom N, Nguyen TN, McDonald S, Greer DM, Brown SC, Mohamedali A, Gutierrez, Shi H, Morris J, Lopez-Rivera V, Sheth SA, Sloane K, Singhal A, Atchaneeyasakul K, Liebeskind DS, Khandelwal P, Bach I, Raz E, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Endovascular treatment of infective endocarditis-related acute large vessel occlusion stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc. Dis. Accepted.

Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Anand P. Infectious Vasculitides of the Central Nervous System. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med (invited review, in press).

Sloane KL, Anand P. Inflammatory Vasculitides of the Central Nervous System. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med (invited review, in press).

Lau KHV, Anand P. Shortcomings of rapid clinical information dissemination Lessons from a pandemic. Neurology: Clinical Practice. (In press).

McEntire CRS, Anand P, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Neurologic Infectious Disease Emergencies. Neurologic Clinics. In press.

Shulman J, Ford T, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. Neurologic Emergencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Neurologic Clinics. In press.

Cervantes-Arslanian A and Anand P. Prognostication after Neurologic Infection in the Critically Ill. In: Greer, D. and Dangayach N. Neuroprognostication in Critical Care. Cambridge University Press. In press.

Hochberg N, Cervantes-Arslanian A, Garcia HH. Cysticercosis. In: Jong E. and Stevens D. Netter’s Infectious Disease, 2nd Edition. Elsevier. In press.

McEntire CRS, Dowd RS, David C, Small JE, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Lerner DP. Acute Myelopathy: Vascular and Infectious Diseases. Neurologic Clinics. In press.