Serratia | |
---|---|
Serratia marcescens, a typical species, on XLD agar.[4] | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Bacteria |
Phylum: | Pseudomonadota |
Class: | Gammaproteobacteria |
Order: | Enterobacterales |
Family: | Yersiniaceae |
Genus: | Serratia Bizio, 1823[1][2] |
Species | |
S. aquatilis[3] |
Serratia is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae.[5] They are typically 1–5 μm in length, do not produce spores,[6] and can be found in water, soil, plants, and animals.[7] Some members of this genus produce a characteristic red pigment, prodigiosin, and can be distinguished from other members of the order Enterobacterales by their unique production of three enzymes: DNase (nucA), lipase, and gelatinase (serralysin).[5] Serratia was thought to be a harmless environmental bacteria until it was discovered that the most common species in the genus, S. marcescens, is an opportunistic pathogen of many animals, including humans.[5] In humans, S. marcescens is mostly associated with nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections, but can also cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and endocarditis.[8] S. marcescens is frequently found in showers, toilet bowls, and around wet tiles as a pinkish to red biofilm but only causes disease in immunocompromised individuals. Aside from S. marcescens, some rare strains of the Serratia species – S. plymuthica, S. liquefaciens, S. rubidaea, and S. odoriferae – have been shown to cause infection such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis.[9]