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Red discoloration of urine caused by Serratia rubidae: A rare case

Simit Kumar1, Maitreyi Bandyopadhyay, Mitali Chatterjee

  • 1Department of Microbiology, R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (The West Bengal University of Health Sciences), Kolkata, India.

Avicenna Journal of Medicine
|August 29, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Serratia rubidae rarely causes human infections. This case report details a urinary tract infection (UTI) in a diabetic patient, presenting with reddish urine due to the bacteria

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Urology

Background:

  • Serratia rubidae is a rare cause of human infections.
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, but S. rubidae is an infrequent pathogen.
  • Prodigiosin, a red pigment, is a characteristic metabolite of S. rubidae.

Observation:

  • A diabetic patient presented with dysuria and reddish urine.
  • Laboratory analysis confirmed a UTI caused by Serratia rubidae.
  • The reddish urine discoloration was attributed to the bacterial pigment, prodigiosin.

Findings:

  • This case represents one of the few documented UTIs caused by Serratia rubidae.
  • The study highlights the potential for S. rubidae to cause symptomatic UTIs.
  • The characteristic red pigment production by S. rubidae was observed in the urine.

Implications:

  • Clinicians should consider rare pathogens like Serratia rubidae in UTI diagnosis, especially with unusual symptoms.
  • Diabetic patients may be more susceptible to infections by less common uropathogens.
  • The identification of prodigiosin can serve as a diagnostic clue for S. rubidae-associated UTIs.
Keywords:
DiabetesSerratia rubidaeurinary tract infection

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