All Notes

Serratia marcescens: Introduction, Identification Features, and Serratia Footages

Introduction of Serratia marcescens

Serratia is a member of the family, Enterobacteriaceae and it is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped lacking spore and capsule bacterium. This is a Gram-negative rod/ bacilli that thrive in moist environments. It frequently contaminates solutions and hospital equipment and the human reservoirs are the urinary and respiratory tracts as well as the gastrointestinal tract of children. The genus is named after Serafino Serrati, an Italian physicist. In 1819, Bartolomeo Bizio, a pharmacist from Padua, Italy, discovered and named Serratia marcescens when he identified the bacterium as the cause of a miraculous bloody discoloration in a cornmeal mush called polenta. Bizio named Serratia in honor of an Italian physicist named Serrati, who invented the steamboat, and Bizio chose marcescens (from the Latin word for decaying) because the bloody pigment was found to deteriorate quickly.

Fig. Serratia marcescens colony morphology on nutrient agar, biochemical reactions, and antibiogram

Identification Features of Serratia marcescens

Basic FeaturesProperties
1. Gram StainingGram-Negative Rods (GNRs)
2. SporeNon-Sporing
3. CapsuleNon-Capsulated
4. MotilityMotile
5. PigmentPositive (Prodigiosin)
6. Growth in potassium cyanide (KCN) mediumPositive
7. Catalase testPositive
8. Oxidase testNegative
9. Nitrate reduction testPositive
10. MR (Methyl Red) testNegative
11. VP (Voges- Proskauer) assayPositive
12. OF (Oxidative-Fermentative) testFermentative\facultative anaerobe
13. Gas formationVariable
14. H2S productionNegative
15. Indole formationNegative
16. Urease/urea hydrolysis testPositive
17. Citrate/citrate utilizationPositive
18. DNase testPositive
19. Glucose fermentationPositive
20. Maltose fermentationPositive
21. Lactose fermentationNegative
22. Sucrose fermentationPositive
23. Xylose fermentationNegative
24. Mannitol fermentationPositive
25. Acetate UtilizationVariable
26. ONPG (β-galactosidase)Positive
27. Phenylalanine Deaminase (PDA)/PPA TestNegative
28. Lipase testPositive
29. Esculin Hydrolysis testPositive
30. Lysine Decarboxylase TestPositive
31. Ornithine Decarboxylase TestPositive
32. Arginine Dihydrolase TestNegative
Table: Identification Features of Serratia marcescens

S. marcescens Footages

Serratia marcescens colony morphology on MacConkey agar

Fig. S. marcescens colony morphology on MacConkey agar

Prodigiosin pigment of Serratia marcescens on Muller-Hinton agar

Fig. Prodigiosin pigment of S. marcescens on Muller-Hinton agar

Pink colony of S. marcescens on nutrient agar

Fig. Pink colony of S. marcescens on nutrient agar

Gram negative rods (GNRs) of Serratia in Gram staining of culture

Fig. Gram-negative rods (GNRs) of S. marcescens in Gram staining of culture

Serratia marcescens biochemical tests

Fig. S. marcescens biochemical tests in TSI, SIM, Urea, and Citrate medium

Serratia marcescens growth on MHA and nutrient agar at 37°C and room temperature (25°C) respectively

Fig. Serratia marcescens growth on MHA and nutrient agar at 37°C (no pigment expression) and room temperature (25°C-expression of pigment, Prodigiosin and thus pink in color) respectively

Further Readings

  • https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.612.8476&rep=rep1&type=pdf
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/serratia
  • Cowan & Steel’s Manual for identification of Medical Bacteria. Editors: G.I. Barron & R.K. Felthani, 3rd ed 1993, Publisher Cambridge University Press.
  • Bailey & Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology. Editors: Bettey A. Forbes, Daniel F. Sahm & Alice S. Weissfeld, 12th ed 2007, Publisher Elsevier.
  • Mackie and Mc Cartney Practical Medical Microbiology. Editors: J.G. Colle, A.G. Fraser, B.P. Marmion, A. Simmous, 4th ed, Publisher Churchill Living Stone, New York, Melborne, Sans Franscisco 1996.
  • Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. Editors: Connie R. Mahon, Donald G. Lehman & George Manuselis, 3rd edition2007, Publisher Elsevier.
Medical Lab Notes

View Comments

  • Normally I don't learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thank you, quite nice post.

  • Well I truly liked reading it. This post procured by you is very helpful for accurate planning.

  • Magnificent site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks in your effort!

  • This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen

  • Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, and I'm shocked why this accident didn't happened earlier! I bookmarked it.

  • Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I'm getting fed up of Wordpress because I've had issues with hackers and I'm looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  • Hi my loved one! I want to say that this post is amazing, great written and come with approximately all important infos. I'd like to see extra posts like this.

  • I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I'm assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I'm not very internet smart so I'm not 100 sure. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

  • hi!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. May be that's you! Looking forward to see you.

Share
Published by
Medical Lab Notes

Recent Posts

Acinetobacter haemolyticus-Introduction, Morphology, Pathogenicity, Lab Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, and Keynotes

Introduction Acinetobacter haemolyticus is an aerobic, non-fermenting bacterium found in nature and hospital environments. It belongs…

1 day ago

Nakaseomyces glabratus: Introduction, Morphology, Pathogenicity, Lab Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, and Keynotes

Introduction Nakaseomyces glabratus (formerly Candida glabrata) is a highly adaptable, haploid yeast that is a common commensal…

1 week ago

Pichia kudriavzevii-Introduction, Morphology, Pathogenicity, Lab Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, and Keynotes

Introduction Pichia kudriavzevii, formerly known as Candida krusei, is a unique budding yeast that holds a…

1 week ago

Morphological Characterization of MTBC: Identifying “Buff” Granular Growth in MGIT Liquid Culture

Visual Observation Medium: The tubes appear to be MGIT (Mycobacteriological Growth Indicator Tubes), which contain…

1 week ago

Transforming Infectious Disease Diagnostics with tNGS Technology

In the world of modern diagnostics, speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness are critical—especially when dealing with…

2 weeks ago

Revolutionizing Molecular Diagnostics: A Look Inside Bioeksen’s Innovative Solutions

Introduction In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the demand for fast, accurate, and accessible diagnostic…

2 weeks ago