Serratia marcescens bacteremia at a medical center in southern Taiwan: High prevalence of cefotaxime resistance

Antimicrobial resistance of isolates and risk factors for mortality were retrospectively investigated in 71 adult patients with Serratia marcescens bacteremia. During the 4-year study period, 78 clinically significant episodes of S. marcescens bacteremia occurred in 71 patients. The mean age of the patients was 65 years (range, 25-86 years) with a male predominance (45 patients, 63%). Most of the bacteremic episodes were nosocomial (78%), and 34% were polymicrobial. The overall mortality rate within 2 weeks after the onset of bacteremia was 41 %. The presence of malignancy and critical illness at initial presentation were independent risk factors for mortality. By disk susceptibility test, 72 isolates were resistant to cefotaxime (92%) but susceptible to ceftazidime (99%). All isolates were susceptible to meropenem. Among the 47 patients with monomicrobial S. marcescens bacteremia, the mortality rate within 5 days of onset in patients receiving appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy was lower than that in patients receiving inappropriate therapy although this difference was not significant (14% vs 28%, P=0.27). Among the patients with cefotaxime-resistant but ceftazidime-susceptible S. marcescens bacteremia treated with ceftazidime, 6 of 7 patients (86%) survived for more than 2 weeks, suggesting the potential effectiveness of ceftazidime in the treatment of cefotaxime-resistant Serratia infections. Further clinical studies are required to delineate the clinical role of ceftazidime therapy for infections caused by S. marcescens with this resistant phenotype.