Listeria monocytogenes--an unusual cause of late infection in a prosthetic hip joint.

As the scope of patients having arthroplasty with compromised immune systems expands, the incidence of late prosthetic infections will increase and the variety of infecting organisms will broaden. The role of prophylactic antibiotics for such patients undergoing procedures known to cause a transient bacteremia is currently unknown. Their use is not universal and many patients undergo procedures frequently without any form of protection. The following case report outlines an unusual organism causing late hip arthroplasty infection in an immunocompromised host and examines the role of prophylactic antibiotics in preventing such complications.