Serratia marcescens
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 S. marcescens on an XLD agar plate.
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| Serratia marcescens Bizio 1823 |
Serratia marcescens is a species of Gram-negative bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae. A human pathogen, S. marcescens is involved in nosocomial infections, particularly urinary tract infections and wound infections.[1]
S. marcescens (bacillus), motile organism and can grow in temperatures ranging from 5–40°C and in pH levels ranging from 5 to 9. [1]
Due to its ubiquitous presence in the environment, and its preference for damp conditions, S. marcescens is commonly found growing in bathrooms (especially on tile grout), where it manifests as a pink discoloration. Once established, complete eradication of the organism is often difficult, but can be accomplished by application of a bleach-based disinfectant.
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[edit] Pathogenesis
S. marcescens can cause conjunctivitis, keratitis, endophthalmitis, and tear duct infections. It is common in the respiratory and urinary tracts of adults and the gastrointestinal system of children.[2] Most S. marcescens strains are resistant to several antibiotics because of the presence of R-factors, which are a type of plasmid that carry one or more genes that encode resistance.
In coral, S. marcescens is the cause of the disease known as White pox.
[edit] Historical
In the 1950s S. marcescens was erroneously believed to be non-pathogenic and its reddish coloration was used in school experiments to track infections. It has also been used as a simulant in biological warfare tests by the United States Military.[3][4] On September 26 and 27, 1950, the United States Navy conducted a secret experiment named "Operation Sea-Spray" in which some S. marcescens was released by bursting balloons of it over urban areas of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Although the Navy later claimed the bacteria were harmless, beginning on September 29 eleven patients at a local hospital developed very rare, serious urinary tract infections and one of these individuals, Edward J. Nevin, died. Cases of pneumonia in San Francisco also increased after S. marcescens was released.[5],[6]
Since 1950, S. marcescens has steadily increased as a cause of human infection, with many strains resistant to multiple antibiotics.[1] The first indications of problems with the influenza vaccine produced by Chiron Corporation in 2004 involved S. marcescens contamination.
Because of its red pigmentation, caused by expression of the pigment prodigiosin,[7] and its ability to grow on bread, S. marcescens has been evoked as a naturalistic explanation of Medieval accounts of the "miraculous" appearance of blood on the Eucharist that led to Pope Urban IV instituting the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1264. This followed celebration of a Mass at Bolsena in 1263, led by a Bohemian priest who had doubts concerning transubstantiation, or the turning of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ during the Mass. During the Mass, the eucharist appeared to bleed and each time the priest wiped away the blood, more would appear. This event is celebrated in a fresco in the Pontifical Palace in the Vatican City, painted by Raphael.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hejazi A, Falkiner FR (1997). "Serratia marcescens". J Med Microbiol 46 (11): 903-12. PMID 9368530.
- ^ Serratia Marcescens seton implant infection & orbital cellulitis. EyeRounds.org. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.
- ^ http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/13/1357237
- ^ http://archive.webactive.com/pacifica/demnow/dn980220.html
- ^ Cole, Leonard A. (1988). Clouds of Secrecy: The Army's Germ-Warfare Tests Over Populated Areas. (Foreword by Alan Cranston.). Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman & Littlefield.. ISBN 0-8476-7579-3.
- ^ Regis, Ed. The Biology of Doom : America's Secret Germ Warfare Project.. Diane Publishing Company.. ISBN 0-7567-5686-3.
- ^ Bennett JW, Bentley R (2000). "Seeing red: The story of prodigiosin". Adv Appl Microbiol 47: 1-32. PubMed.
- ^ The Mass at Bolsena by Raphael. Vatican Museums. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
