Case report and review of septicemia due to Serratia ficaria

J Clin Microbiol. 1994 Sep;32(9):2285-8. doi: 10.1128/jcm.32.9.2285-2288.1994.

Abstract

Serratia ficaria was first described in 1979 as part of the fig tree ecosystem (P.A.D. Grimont, F. Grimont, and M. P. Starr, Curr. Microbiol. 2:277-282, 1979). Since then, it has been isolated from clinical specimens from a few human patients (C. Bollet, J. Freney, P. de Micco, F. Grimont, and P.A.D. Grimont, Méd. Mal. Infect. 20:97-100, 1990; J.A. Brouillard, W. Hansen, and A. Compere, J. Clin. Microbiol. 19:902-904, 1984; H. Darbas, H. Jean-Pierre, G. Boyer, and M. Riviere, Méd. Mal. Infect. 23:269-270, 1993; V.J. Gill, J.J. Farmer, III, P.A.D. Grimont, M.A. Asbury, and C.L. McIntosh, J. Clin. Microbiol. 14:234-236, 1981; F.D. Pien and J.J. Farmer III, South. Med. J. 76:1591-1592, 1983; C. Richard, J. de Coquet, and C. Suc, Méd. Mal. Infect. 19:45-47, 1989), but the pathogenicity of S. ficaria was always questionable. We are reporting the case of an aged cancer patient who developed S. ficaria septicemia. The habitat of this organism and its potential role as a pathogen are discussed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / surgery
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Animals
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Fruit / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Hymenoptera / microbiology
  • Immunocompromised Host
  • Male
  • Opportunistic Infections / microbiology*
  • Postoperative Complications / microbiology*
  • Pylorus
  • Sepsis / microbiology*
  • Serratia / classification
  • Serratia / growth & development
  • Serratia / isolation & purification*
  • Serratia / pathogenicity
  • Serratia Infections / microbiology*
  • Shock, Septic / microbiology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / surgery