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Review
. 2023 Oct 3;78(10):2457-2461.
doi: 10.1093/jac/dkad254.

Serratia endocarditis: antimicrobial management strategies and clinical outcomes

Sunish Shah  1   2   3 , Madeline McCrary  4 , Asher J Schranz  4 , Lloyd Clarke  1   2 , Matthew W Davis  3 , Ashley Marx  5 , Douglas Slain  6 , Bobbi Jo Stoner  7 , Jeffrey Topal  3 , Ryan K Shields  1   8
Affiliations
Review

Serratia endocarditis: antimicrobial management strategies and clinical outcomes

Sunish Shah et al. J Antimicrob Chemother. .

Abstract

Objectives: The incidence of Serratia endocarditis is increasing, yet optimal treatment has not been defined. Our objective was to investigate the outcomes of patients with Serratia endocarditis by treatment strategy.

Methods: We reviewed adult patients with definitive Serratia endocarditis at two independent health systems between July 2001 and April 2023. Combination therapy was defined as receipt of ≥2 in vitro active agents for ≥72 h.

Results: Seventy-five patients were included; 64% (48/75) were male and 85% (64/75) were people who inject drugs. Compared with monotherapy, receipt of combination therapy was associated with lower rates of microbiological failure (0% versus 15%, P = 0.026) and 90 day all-cause mortality (11% versus 31%, P = 0.049). Antimicrobial discontinuation due to an adverse event was more common among patients receiving combination therapy compared with monotherapy (36% versus 8%, P = 0.058).

Conclusions: In the largest series of Serratia endocarditis to date, combination antibiotic treatment was associated with improved outcomes. However, larger, prospective studies are warranted.

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