Serratia ficaria isolated from sputum specimen

Area of Science:

• Medical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Serratia ficaria, a Gram-negative facultative anaerobic rod, was first described in 1979.
• While typically found in figs, S. ficaria has been isolated from human specimens in limited cases.

Observation:

• A case report details an S. ficaria isolate from the sputum of a 46-year-old male patient with chronic renal failure and respiratory tract infection.
• The patient presented with fever and cough, and sputum culture revealed the presence of S. ficaria.

Findings:

• Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the S. ficaria strain showed resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cephalothin, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, and ceftriaxone.
• The strain remained susceptible to amikacin, gentamicin, cefepime, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, imipenem, meropenem, tigecycline, and ciprofloxacin.
• The patient received successful treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Implications:

• S. ficaria is recognized as an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing serious infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
• The association with figs highlights potential environmental sources for human colonization and infection.
• Clinicians should consider S. ficaria in respiratory infections, especially in regions with significant fig tree cultivation.