Listeria monocytogenes bacteremia and meningitis in a Saudi newborn

Listeria monocytogenes is an uncommon cause of illness in the general population. However, for some groups, including neonates, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, this organism is an important cause of life-threatening meningoencephalitis and bacteremia.1 Listeriosis is not a reportable disease, but data from two surveillance studies performed in the United States in 1981/1982 and 1986 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the annual infection rate is 7.4 per one million population, accounting for 1850 cases and 425 deaths per year in the United States.1 Half of all listeriosis cases involve pregnant women, fetuses or neonates. About 22% of perinatal listeral infections result in still birth or neonatal death.1 Studies of neonatal sepsis from the Central Region of Saudi Arabia did not identify L. monocytogenes as one of the etiological agents