Name: Serratia marcescens
Location: commonly found in showers, toilets,
tiles etc. Fairly ubiquitous in damp environments.
Description: rod-shaped, Gram-negative
bacteria. Often seen as a pink and slimy film on surfaces. Produces large
amounts of red pigment.
Health concerns: Relatively low health risk,
but does cause nosocomial infections in hospitals. Can also cause corneal
infections by virtue of becoming established in contact lens cases. The
organism is extremely resistant to soaps and detergents, and in fact most
hospital infections occur via contaminated cleaning solutions.
Cool facts: The production of red pigment
by Serratia is thought to be responsible for the miraculous bleeding of
damp statues in the Middle Ages. In the 1950’s the U.S. military released
balloons containing (supposedly harmless) Serratia marcescens over San
Francisco in order to simulate a bio-weapons attack. A number of people
subsequently acquired serious infections and one patient died. This
organisms also can destroy saltwater corals.
