Neuroinfectious Diseases

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Despite the advancement achieved in the last few decades fighting various infectious diseases (smallpox, polio, malaria, active tuberculosis, syphilis), infections of the central nervous system still are the ones with the highest morbidity and mortality. This course will review the reasons why treatment of these infectious diseases is so challenging: the physiology of our anatomy, the mechanisms exploited by neuropathogens, and recent medical advancements that ironically, makes us susceptible to these diseases. Lastly, certain non-infectious neurological conditions share pathological features with that of infectious agents. These will be compared and their potential treatments discussed based on their similarities.