diff --git a/lib/core/sdam/topology.js b/lib/core/sdam/topology.js
index ee1211ba47..28cadef0a4 100644
--- a/lib/core/sdam/topology.js
+++ b/lib/core/sdam/topology.js
@@ -211,6 +211,9 @@ class Topology extends EventEmitter {
 
       this.on('topologyDescriptionChanged', this.s.detectTopologyDescriptionChange);
     }
+
+    // NOTE: remove this when NODE-1709 is resolved
+    this.setMaxListeners(Infinity);
   }
 
   /**