Serratia
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Serratia infection Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Serratia On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Serratia |
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S. entomophila |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Serratia is a ubiquitous organism that is frequently present in food, soil, and damp conditions.
- Serratia is a lactose-forming, Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family.
- Clinically, Serratia may infect multiple organ systems. It may be responsible for urinary tract infection, pneumonia , osteomyelitis, meningitis, endocarditis, intra-abdominal infections, and eye and tear duct infections (conjunctivitis, keratitis, endophthalmitis).
Serratia is notoriously known for its antimicrobial resistance due to the presence of R-factor, a virulence factor.
Serratia marcescens
- S. marcescens is a motile, Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that can grow in temperatures ranging from 5–40°C and in pH levels ranging from 5 to 9.
- S. marcescens is able to perform casein hydrolysis, which facilitates the production of extracellular metalloproteases thought to function in cell-to-extracellular matrix interactions.
- S. marcescens also exhibits tryptophan- and citrate-degradation. Pyruvic acid, an end-product of tryptophan degradation, and carbon, an end-product of citrate degradation, are then incorporated into metabolic processes.
- S. marcescens produces a reddish-orange (bloody) pigment called prodigiosin.
- Identification of the organism may be done via the methyl red test, which determines if a microorganism performs mixed-acid fermentation. Typically, S. marcescens results in a negative test.
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![Blood agar base plate cultivated colonial growth of Gram-negative, rod-shaped and facultatively anaerobic Serratia marcescens bacteria. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/images/3/36/Enterobacteria40.jpeg)
Blood agar base plate cultivated colonial growth of Gram-negative, rod-shaped and facultatively anaerobic Serratia marcescens bacteria. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]
![Blood agar base plate cultivated colonial growth of Gram-negative, rod-shaped and facultatively anaerobic Serratia marcescens bacteria. From Public Health Image Library (PHIL). [1]](/index.php/File:Enterobacteria40.jpeg)