[Listeria monocytogenes pneumonia: a severe complication in a patient with neoplasia]

Listeriosis is a infectious disease which can affect to immunosuppressed patients. We report a case of pneumonia by Listeria monocytogenes as unusual presentation, because the central nervous system infections are the most common clinical entities. Many cases reported had a underlying disease, most commonly Hodgkin's disease, and had received immunosuppressive therapy. In our case the patient was considered to be immunosuppressed by had received corticosteroids and had been diagnosed of stage IIIa squamous cell carcinoma 3 years ago. The illness began 48 hours before the admission to hospital, he had fever, mental confusion and the location of pneumonia was right lower lobe, 24 hours later the patient die.