Serratia

[ suh-rey-shuh, -shee-uh, -rah-tee-uh ]

noun

, Bacteriology.

1. a genus of rod-shaped, aerobic bacteria that are saprophytic on decaying plant or animal materials.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Serratia¹

< New Latin, named after Serafino Serrati, 19th-century Italian industrialist; -a ²

Example Sentences

The liquid in the test kits was found to be contaminated "with organisms such as Enterococcus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Serratia species" that could cause illness for people with weakened immune systems, the FDA said.

From BBC

The scum, often called “pink mold,” is a type of bacteria, Serratia marcescens.

From Washington Post

The diagnosis was a rare pneumonia caused by bacteria believed by doctors there to be Serratia marcescens.

From New York Times

Serratia marcescens forms colonies that look pink or red on surfaces that are left damp for long periods — and bathrooms make an ideal habitat.

From Washington Post

Serratia, Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus ate away at detritus—from visitors and decaying corpses—that had seeped into Michelangelo’s sarcophagi.

From Scientific American