James J. Sejvar, M.D., Neuroepidemiologist, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine; Consultant Neuroepidemiologist, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore
Dr. Sejvar graduated from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio in 1991 (B.A.). In 1996, he obtained his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire. He received his training in neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, completing residency in 2000. He then did a fellowship in applied field epidemiology through CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. Following completion of the program in 2002, he remained at CDC, where he serves as a neuroepidemiologist at CDC’s Divisions of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. He is board-certified in neurology, and serves on the faculty of the Department of Neurology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Sejvar is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He serves on the editorial board of Lancet Neurology, and serves as a manuscript reviewer for numerous international medical journals. His current research focus centers on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and outcomes of infections of the nervous system. He has conducted numerous studies focusing on viral encephalitis, post-infectious nervous system disorders, prion diseases, and infectious etiologies of acute flaccid paralysis. He is currently involved in several international field investigations of unexplained neurologic illnesses; the establishment of surveillance for etiologies of viral encephalitis and infectious acute flaccid paralysis; and developing intervention strategies for prevention and control of neurologic infections. His research also focuses on neurologic adverse events following immunizations. He has authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters, and lectures widely on topics relating to infections of the nervous system.
James J. Sejvar, MD: Selected Citations
Adjemian JZ, Howell J, Holzbauer S, Harris J, Recuenco S, McQuiston J, Chester T, Lynfield R, Devries
A, Belay E, Sejvar J. A clustering of immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy among swine abbatoir workers exposed to aerosolized porcine brains, Indiana, United States. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2009;15(4):331-338.
Sejvar JJ, Davis LE, Szabados E, Jackson AC. Delayed-onset and recurrent limb weakness associated
With West Nile virus infection. J Neurovirol. 2010;(epub ahead of print).
Sejvar JJ, Curns AT, Welburg L, Jones JF, Lundgren LM, Capuron L, Pape J, Reeves WC, Campbell GC.
Neurocognitive and functional outcomes in persons recovering from West Nile virus illness.
J Neuropsychology. 2008;2(2):477-499.
Sejvar JJ. Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2008;10(4):307-314.
Farnon EC, Sejvar JJ, Staples JE. Severe disease manifestations associated with acute chikungunya
Virus infection. Crit Care Med. 2008;36(9):2682-3.
Tunkel AR, Glaser CA, Bloch KC, Sejvar JJ, Marra CM, Roos KL, Hartman BJ, Kaplan SJ,
Scheld WM, Whitley RJ; Infectious Disease Society of America. The management of
Encephalitis: clinical practice guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47(3):303-27.
Hochberg NS, Park SY, Blackburn BG, Sejvar JJ, Gaynor K, Chung H, Leniek K, Herwaldt BL, Effler PV.
Distribution of eosinophilic meningitis cases attributable to Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Hawaii.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13(11):1675-80.
Sejvar JJ, Kohl KS, Bilynsky R, Blumberg D, Cvetkovich T, Galama J, Gidudu J,
Katikaneni L, Khuri-Bulos N, Oleske J, Tapiainen T, Winznitzer M; Brighton
Collaboration Encephalitis Working Group. Encephalitis, myelitis, and acute
disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM): case definitions and guidelines for
collection, analysis, and presentation of immunization safety data. Vaccine.
2007;25(31):5771-92.
Sejvar JJ. The long-term outcomes of human West Nile virus infection. Clin Infect
Dis. 2007;44(12):1617-24.
Sejvar JJ, Hossain J, Saha SK, Gurley ES, Banu S, Hamadani JD, Faiz MA, Siddiqui F, Mohammad QD, Mollah AH, Uddin R, Alam R, Rahman R, Tan CT, Bellini W, Rota P, Breiman RF, Luby SP. Long-term neurological and functional outcome in Nipah virus infection. Ann Neurol. 2007;62(3):235-42.
McMahon AW, Eidex RB, Marfin AA, Russell M, Sejvar JJ, Markoff L, Hayes EB,
ChenRT, Ball R, Braun MM, Cetron M, Yellow Fever Working Group. Neurologic disease associated with 17D-204 yellow fever vaccination: a report of 15 cases. Vaccine. 2007;25(10):1727-34.
Penn RG, Guarner J, Sejvar JJ, Hartman H, McComb RD, Nevins DL, Bhatnagar J,
Zaki SR. Persistent neuroinvasive West Nile virus infection in an immuno-
compromised patient. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;42(5):680-3.
Bode AV, Sejvar JJ, Pape WJ, Campbell GL, Marfin AA. West Nile virus disease:
a descriptive study of 228 patients hospitalized in a 4-county region of
Colorado in 2003. Clin Infect Dis. 2006;42(9):1234-40.
Sejvar JJ, Bode AV, Marfin AA, Campbell GL, Pape J, Biggerstaff BJ,
Petersen LR. West Nile virus-associated flaccid paralysis outcome. Emerg
Infect Dis. 2006;12(3):514-16.
Sejvar JJ. The evolving epidemiology of viral encephalitis. Curr Opin Neurol. 2006;
19(4):350-7.
Sejvar JJ, Marfin AA. Manifestations of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease. Rev
Med Virol. 2006;16(4):209-24.
Sejvar JJ, Tenover FC, Stephens DS. Management of anthrax meningitis. Lancet
Infect Dis. 2005;5(5):287-95.
Sejvar J, Holman R, Bresee J, Kochanek K, Schonberger L. Amyotrophic lateral
Sclerosis mortality in the United States, 1979-2001. Neuroepidemiology. 2005;25:144-152
Sejvar J, Bode A, Marfin A, Campbell G, Ewing D, Mazowiecki M, Pavot P, Schmitt J,
Pape J, Biggerstaff B, Petersen L. West Nile virus-associated flaccid paralysis. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005; 11:1022-1027.
Sejvar J, Johnson D, Popovic T, Miller J, Downes F, Somsel P, Weyant R, Stephens D,
Perkins B, Rosenstein N. Assessing the risk of laboratory-acquired meningo-
coccal disease. J Clin Microbiol. 2005;43:4811-4814.
Sejvar J, Labutta R, Chapman L, Grabenstein J, Iskander J, Lane M. Neurologic adverse
Events associated with smallpox vaccination in the United States, 2002-2004.
JAMA 2005;294(21):1-7.
Hayes EB, Sejvar JJ, Zaki SR, Lanciotti RS, Bode AV, Campbell GL. Virology,
Pathology, and clinical manifestations of West Nile virus disease. Emerg
Infect Dis. 2005;11(8):1174-79.
Belay ED, Sejvar JJ, Shieh WJ, Wiersma ST, Zou WQ, Gambetti P, Hunter S,
Maddox RA, Crockett L, Zaki SR, Schonberger LB. Variant Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease death, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11(9):1351-54.
Bhat N, Wright JG, Broder KR, Murray EL, Greenberg ME, Glover MJ, Likos AM,
Posey DL, Klimov A, Lindstrom SE, Balish A, Medina MJ, Wallis TR,
Guarner J, Paddock CD, Shieh WJ, Zaki SR, Sejvar JJ, Shay DK, Harper SA,
Cox NJ, Fukuda K, Uyeki TM; Influenza Special Investigations Team. Influenza-
associated deaths among children in the United States, 2003-2004. N Engl J
Med. 2005;53(24):2559-67.
Sejvar J, Tankanakul W, Ratanasang P, Dowell S, Ashford D, Tappero J. A national
outbreak of leptospirosis, Thailand: the importance of the laboratory. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Pub Health. 2005;36(2):1-7.
Sejvar J, Chowdary Y, Schomogyi M, Stevens J, Karem K, Fischer M, Kuehnert M,
Zaki S, Paddock C, Guarner J, Sheih W, Bernard N, Li Y, Olson V, Kline R, Loparev V, Schmid S, Regnery R, Damon I. Human monkeypox infection: a cluster within a family. JID. 2004;190(10):1833-1841.
Sejvar J. West Nile virus and "poliomyelitis".
Neurology. 2004 Jul 27;63(2):206-7.
Leis A, Van Gerpen J, Sejvar J. The aetiology of flaccid paralysis in West Nile
virus infection. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;75(6):940.
Sejvar J, Bode A, Curiel M, Marfin A. Post-infectious encephalomyelitis associated
with St. Louis encephalitis virus infection. Neurology 2004;63(9):1719.
Sejvar J, Haddad M, Tierney B, Campbell G, Marfin A, Van Gerpen J, Fleischauer A,
Leis A, Stokic D, Petersen L. Neurologic manifestations and outcome in West Nile virus infection. JAMA 2003;290:511-516.
Sejvar J, Leis A, Stokic D, Van Gerpen J, Marfin A, Webb R, Haddad M, Tierney B, Slavinski S, Polk J, Dostrow V, Winkelmann M, Petersen L. Acute flaccid paralysis associated with West Nile virus infection. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2003;7:788-793.
Sejvar J, Bancroft E, Winthrop K, Bettinger J, Bajani M, Bragg S, Shutt K, Kaiser R, Marano N, Popovic T, Tappero J, Ashford D, Mascola L, Vugia D, Perkins B, Rosenstein N. Leptospirosis outbreak in “Eco-Challenge” athletes, Malaysian Borneo, 2000. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2003;6:702-707.
Sejvar J. West Nile virus: an historical overview. The Ochsner Journal. 2003;5(3):6-9.