Can Serratia marcescens be cured?

Abstract. An old man receiving peritoneal dialysis was diagnosed with Serratia marcescens peritonitis, a rare case with poor prognosis. Powerful antibiotics based on culture results and enough duration cured the case successfully despite its high virulence.

Is Serratia marcescens treatable?

Serratia infections should be treated with an aminoglycoside plus an antipseudomonal beta-lactam, as the single use of a beta-lactam can select for resistant strains. Most strains are susceptible to amikacin, but reports indicate increasing resistance to gentamicin and tobramycin.

What happens if Serratia marcescens is left untreated?

marcescens has been shown to cause a wide range of infectious diseases, including urinary, respiratory, and biliary tract infections, peritonitis, wound infections, and intravenous catheter-related infections, which can also lead to life-threatening bacteremia.

What disease does Serratia marcescens cause?

Well-documented infections caused by S. marcescens include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, biliary tract infection, wound infection, meningitis, and endocarditis. Rarely does it present as cellulitis and necrotizing fasciitis (NF), resulting in severe sepsis and multiorgan failure.

How do you deal with Serratia marcescens?

Once established, complete eradication of the organism is often difficult, but can be accomplished by application of a bleach-based disinfectant. Rinsing and drying surfaces after use can also prevent the establishment of the bacterium by removing its food source and making the environment less hospitable. S.

Post surgery infection serratia marcescens

How long does Serratia marcescens last?

Many gram-negative species, such as Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, or Shigella spp. can survive on inanimate surfaces even for months. These species are found among the most frequent isolates from patients with nosocomial infections [11].

Is Serratia harmful?

Today, Serratia marcescens is considered a harmful human pathogen which has been known to cause urinary tract infections, wound infections, and pneumonia.

How common is Serratia marcescens?

While S. marcescens is a rare cause of community-acquired infections, it has emerged as an important nosocomial healthcare-associated pathogen and a frequent source of outbreaks of hospital infection (72), in both adult (122) and paediatric patients (115).

How do you know if you have Serratia marcescens?

Symptoms may include fever, frequent urination, dysuria, pyuria, or pain upon urination. In 90% of cases, patients have a history of recent surgery or instrumentation of the urinary tract.

Can Serratia cause UTI?

There have been only a few reported human cases of infections caused by Serratia rubidae in literature. Among these sparse cases there is only one reported case of urinary tract infection (UTI) due to S. rubidae in literature. The organism is known to produce a red pigment known as prodigiosin.

Where does Serratia marcescens bacteria come from?

The pink colour is due to a pigment secreted by a species of bacteria known as Serratia marcescens, found naturally in soil, air and water. They can cause infections, but that generally happens in hospitals and affects people with compromised immune systems.

Is Serratia marcescens airborne?

Since Serratia marcescens is airborne, it's possible that you might notice more pink slime around your home during warm weather when your windows are open. Or, if you use a water filter that removes chlorine, you might find that your sinks, bathtubs and toilets are more hospitable to the bacterium.

Can Serratia cause pneumonia?

It naturally occurs in soil and water as well as the intestines, and it is responsible for nosocomial infections. There have been few reports about community acquired pneumonia of Serratia.

How do you get infected with Serratia?

The major factors that are involved in the development of the Serratia infection include contamination of the respiratory equipment and poor catheterization techniques. Most of the outbreaks have been reported from the paediatrics ward.

How does Serratia marcescens enter the body?

marcescens infections are known to be transmitted through hand-to-hand contact by medical personnel. In this case, solutions used for medical purposes, catheterizations, and needle punctures can be contaminated and infect patients(31). Patients may also be infected with S.

What is the incubation period for Serratia marcescens?

No prodigiosin was formed in either medium when cultures were incubated at 38 C; however, after a shift to 27 C, pigmentation ensued, provided the period of incubation at 38 C was not longer than 36 hr for minimal medium or 48 hr for complete medium.

Is Serratia normal flora?

Serratia species are gram-negative bacilli of the Enterobacteriaceae group of bacteria, although they are not a common component of healthy human fecal flora.

Can Serratia marcescens cause diarrhea?

Serratia marcescens is incriminated in hospital-associated infections, and HIV/AIDS associated diarrhea. We have recently found that Serratia spp. may be found more commonly in the stools of patients with diarrhea than in asymptomatic control children.

How do you remove Serratia marcescens from water?

A very easy homemade mixture that you can use to clean Serratia marcescens is baking soda mixed with dish detergent (a 4:1 ratio works best). After rinsing this mixture off, continue cleaning with vinegar. Let this soak and then clean and rinse.

How do you get rid of pink bacteria?

Create a cleaning paste with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Using a soft bristle brush, apply paste to the bacteria and scrub away the pink film. Rinse. Once the pink is gone, you'll need to disinfect the area.

Can Serratia marcescens cause a rash?

Based on the absence of similar case reports in the literature, we report these two pediatric cases to emphasize that Serratia marcessens infections can present with papillovesicular rash similar to that seen in varicella zoster infections.

How do you get Serratia in lungs?

It can naturally occur in soil and water as well as in the intestine. It can often involve the lungs as a nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infection. Serratia species may sometimes harbor multidrug-resistance mechanisms that can complicate treatment.

Can you be colonized with Serratia?

Colonization by Serratia spp. was associated with yearly age at admission, long ICU stay and high mortality. Both the respiratory and digestive tracts were frequently colonized. Our findings do not support the contention that the digestive tract is more important as reservoir than the respiratory tract in neonates.

Is Serratia marcescens a contaminant?

Serratia marcescens is a common bacterial contaminant, and its resilient nature coupled with genetic promiscuity imbue this environmental bacterium with resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics enhancing bacterial virulence.

What disinfectant kills Serratia marcescens?

Though Serratia will not survive in chlorinated drinking water, the bacteria can grow in toilets where water is left standing long enough for the chlorine to dissipate. To kill the bacteria, clean affected surfaces with a strong chlorine bleach solution.