Current Epidemiological Status and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of <i>Serratia marcescens</i>

• Main Authors: Ilaria Cosimato (Author), Biagio Santella (Author), Sandra Rufolo (Author), Paola Sabatini (Author), Massimiliano Galdiero (Author), Mario Capunzo (Author), Giovanni Boccia (Author), Veronica Folliero (Author), Gianluigi Franci (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/antibiotics13040323; 2079-6382
• Keywords: <i>Serratia marcescens</i>; antibiotics; Gram-negative bacteria; susceptibility patterns; multidrug resistance; Therapeutics. Pharmacology; RM1-950
• Source: Antibiotics, Vol 13, Iss 4, p 323 (2024)

The spread of antibiotic resistance represents a serious worldwide public health issue, underscoring the importance of epidemiology research in determining antimicrobial strategies. The purpose of this research was to investigate antibiotic resistance in <i>Serratia marcescens</i> isolates from clinical samples over seven years at the University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona" in Salerno, Italy. <i>S. marcescens</i> is an important opportunistic pathogen associated with a wide spectrum of clinical diseases, including pneumonia, keratitis, meningitis, and urinary tract and wound infections. Outbreaks of nosocomial infections by <i>S. marcescens</i> strains have been documented in high-risk settings, mainly affecting immunocompromised patients and newborns. The primary objective of this study is to assess the rates of antibiotic resistance over the years to deal with a future emergency which includes the failure of various therapies due to antibiotic resistance. During the investigation, a total of 396 species of <i>S. marcescens</i> were isolated from various clinical samples, mainly from broncho-aspirates and sputum (31.6%) and blood cultures (21.5%). Antibiotics that showed the greatest susceptibility included ceftazidime/avibactam, amikacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and selected members of the cephalosporin class. However, a disconcerting trend of increasing rates of carbapenem resistance was outlined over the observation period. The absence of effective countermeasures, combined with growing antibiotic resistance that negates the effectiveness of multiple antibiotics, highlights the potential for <i>S. marcescens</i> infections to trigger serious clinical complications and increased mortality rates. The surveillance of <i>Serratia marcescens</i> infections constitutes a pivotal element in refining empiric therapy to mitigate the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.