Is Serratia marcescens pathogenic?

Serratia marcescens is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes disease in plants and in a wide range of both invertebrate and vertebrate hosts (Grimont and Grimont, 1978). It is an opportunistic human pathogen and in the last three decades there has been a steady increase in nosocomial S.
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Is Serratia marcescens a pathogenic bacteria?

Serratia species are opportunistic gram-negative bacteria in the large family, Enterobacteriaceae. Serratia are widespread in the environment, but are not a common component of the human fecal flora. Serratia marcescens is the primary pathogenic species of Serratia.
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Is Serratia marcescens harmful to humans?

In rare cases, Serratia marcescens can be deadly.

Along with other bacteria, Serratia marcescens is a source of hospital-acquired infections, which can happen if a patient's immune system is severely compromised or if the bacterium enters the body with a catheter, respirator or other medical device.
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Is Serratia a true pathogen?

Serratia plymuthica: a true pathogen in transplant patients.
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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.
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Osmosis | Serratia Marcescens



How do we get Serratia infection?

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.
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How is Serratia marcescens transmitted?

S. 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.
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Why is Serratia marcescens important?

Serratia marcescens is an important cause of nosocomial infections in both human and veterinary medicine. In human patients it is often linked to intravenous drug use. The organism has a tremendous ability to survive in the environment and may contaminate and remain viable in disinfectant solutions.
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What are the virulence factors of Serratia marcescens?

Serratia species secrete several virulence factors, such as DNase, lipase, gelatinase, hemolysin, proteases, chitinase, chloroperoxidase, and multiple isozymes of alkaline phosphatase, and also produce carbapenem antibiotics, a red pigment named prodigiosin (Figure 29), and biosurfactants.
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Is Serratia marcescens hospital-acquired?

Serratia marcescens is a significant hospital-acquired pathogen, and many outbreaks of S. marcescens infection have been reported in neonates.
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Is Serratia marcescens serious?

S. 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.
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Where is Serratia marcescens found in the human body?

It is commonly found in the respiratory and urinary tracts of hospitalized adults and in the gastrointestinal systems of children. Due to its abundant presence in the environment, and its preference for damp conditions, S.
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Is the pink stuff toxic to humans?

Created from a non-toxic formula, the Pink Stuff is safe to use around your family and pets.
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Which organism is considered an opportunistic pathogen?

Examples are Candida albicans (an opportunistic agent of oral and genital infections in humans), Staphylococcus aureus (normal flora on human skin but may cause infections), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (may cause burn and external ear infections). Variant: (opportunistic) pathogene.
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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.
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How is Serratia marcescens infection treated?

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.
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What temperature does Serratia marcescens grow?

Optimally, Serratia marcescens grows at 37°C, but it can grow in temperatures that range from 5–40°C. They grow in pH levels that range from 5 to 9 [14]. Serratia marcescens is well known for the red pigmentation it produces called prodigiosin.
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Why is Serratia marcescens red?

Serratia marcescens is a gram-negative, facultatively-anaerobic bacterium and opportunistic pathogen which produces the red pigment prodigiosin.
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Can Serratia be a contaminant?

Based on related information, Serratia marcescens is a red bacterial species that have been reported as a contaminant in the laboratory.
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What is the most likely mode of transmission for healthcare associated Serratia infections?

It is associated with urinary and respiratory infections, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, septicemia, wound infections, eye infections, and meningitis. Transmission is by direct contact.
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Can Serratia cause pneumonia?

Patients with Serratia respiratory tract infection are usually are colonized with Serratia species after instrumentation (eg, ventilation, bronchoscopy), especially those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Serratiapneumonia may develop, but this is rare.
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What happens if I touch Serratia marcescens?

If an infected hand touches the eye and natural immunity is unable to fend off Serratia colonization, the result might be conjunctivitis, keratitis or tear duct infections, for example. Once in the bloodstream, Serratia bacteria can cause endocarditis, bacteremia, meningitis, osteomyelitis and arthritis.
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How common is Serratia marcescens infection?

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).
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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].
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