Cutaneous lesions of listeriosis in a newborn

Although HIV-infected patients are commonly infected by organisms that require an intact T cell immune system for control or eradication, there are some exceptions. The intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is one such organism. Listeriosis occurs primarily in neonates, elderly patients, patients on immune suppressive medications, cancer patients, and during pregnancy. However, listeriosis is an uncommon opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients. We report a case of listeriosis with cutaneous lesions in a neonate born to an HIV-infected woman.