Community-acquired bacteremia caused by Serratia plymuthica. Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We present a case of a 50-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital as a result of a process affecting the lower respiratory tract, associated with a community-acquired bacteremia due to Serratia plymuthica. The patient was treated with erythromycin and gentamicin and was discharged to home 7 days after admission with complete clinical cure. In view of the lack of reports concerning human infections by S. plymuthica, we present our case and review the literature concerning the microbiological and clinical characteristics of this unusual human pathogen.