Listeriosis in patients with connective tissue diseases

Patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD) are prone to infections, either from the disease itself or secondary to treatment. The incidence of listeriosis in immunosuppressed patients is increasing. We therefore evaluated the frequency of listeriosis, an otherwise rarely reported infection in the rheumatologic literature, in patients with CTD.

Retrospective analysis of listeria positive cultures in patients with CTD between 1982 and 1992 at a tertiary care center in Mexico City.

We identified 8 patients: 7 with systemic lupus erythematosus and one with dermatomyositis. At the time of the infection, 5 had active disease, 6 were receiving prednisone and/or other immunosuppressive drugs and 2 were receiving hemodialysis. L. monocytogenes was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (5 patients), from blood (one patient) and from both sites (2 patients). Patients had bacteremia without a known focus of infection or meningitis as the 2 most common clinical forms of listeriosis. In spite of appropriate antibiotic therapy, 4 patients died.

As in other immunosuppressed individuals, listeriosis is an aggressive infection in patients with CTD. Although rare, listeriosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of meningitis in patients with CTD and appropriate aggressive therapy rapidly instituted. To determine its frequency in rheumatic patients, multicentric prospective studies are required.