Listeria Infection from Infliximab Use

As the number of people treated with anti–tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti–TNF-alpha) agents for inflammatory joint disease increases, the amount of infection reports—including those of life-threatening opportunistic infections—also has risen. Clinicians from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, recently reported on a case of Listeria endocarditis associated with the use of infliximab (an anti–TNF-alpha agent) in a patient with psoriatic arthritis. In their case discussion, the researchers pose the question: Are these biologic agents (used as treatment for inflammatory arthritis) increasing the incidence of Listeria infections?