Overview
Serratia marcescens is a Gram-negative bacillus capable of causing various infections, including nosocomial and community-acquired infections, characterized by its ability to produce a distinctive red pigment (protease) under certain conditions 1.Diagnosis
Clinical Isolates: Identification through culture and sensitivity testing 1.
Serotyping: Utilize O-antigenic typing schemes, recognizing new serotypes O27 and O28 via ELISA, immunoblotting, and Quellung reaction 1.
Cross-reactions: Be aware of cross-reactions between serotypes O27 and O4, and O28 and O5, necessitating confirmatory testing 1.Management
Antibiotics: First-line treatment often includes carbapenems (e.g., imipenem) or aminoglycosides (e.g., gentamicin) 1.
Adjunctive Measures: Source control (e.g., removal of infected devices) is crucial in managing infections 1.Special Populations
No Specific Guidance: The provided abstracts do not offer specific recommendations for pregnancy, pediatrics, elderly, or patients with comorbidities 1.Key Recommendations
Utilize O-antigenic typing (O27 and O28) for accurate identification of Serratia marcescens strains to guide infection control measures (Evidence: Moderate) 1.
Initiate empiric therapy with carbapenems or aminoglycosides for severe Serratia infections, guided by local susceptibility patterns (Evidence: Moderate) 1.
Confirm serotype identification through multiple serological tests to avoid cross-reaction misidentification (Evidence: Weak) 1.References
1 Aucken HM, Wilkinson SG, Pitt TL. Immunochemical characterization of two new O serotypes of Serratia marcescens (O27 and O28). FEMS microbiology letters 1996. link