Serratia Marcescens Products

Serratia marcescens is a species of Gram negative bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a broad host range pathogen, and is also capable of opportunistic infections of humans. Some strains of S. marcescens are capable of producing a pigment called prodigiosin, which ranges in color from dark red to pale pink. S. marcescens is a rod shaped, motile organism and can grow in temperatures ranging from 5 - 40C and in pH levels ranging from 5 to 9. S. marcescens is involved in hospital-acquired infections, particularly in urinary tract and wound infections. Serratia species cause 1.4% of nosocomial bloodstream infections with an associated mortality of 25% [in USA]. Most S. marcescens strains are resistant to several antibiotics because of the presence of R factors in plasmids.