Serratia

Question

Dear expert team,

in my daughter’s throat swab (she has CF, 3 years old) the germ Serratia was detected. Which impact does this germ have on the lung function or the course of the disease? How likely is it to get rid of it ( the clinic prescribed an oral antibiotic)?

Since the informational situation about this rare germ is meagre I am very grateful about every advice or expert knowledge.

Greetings,

Answer

Dear parents,

a Serratia germ was detected in your daughter’s throat swab. This germ occurs anywhere in soil, in water, on animals and plants. The infection therefore mostly results from the surroundings, but may also happen from person to person.
As a rule this germ is harmless. With healthy persons contact with this germ normally does not cause an illness. Only with immunodeficient patients it may cause diseases like urinary tract infections, pneumonia, ostitis, etc. Since CF patients are not immunodeficient but usually extremely immunocompetent according to our current knowledge no negative effect on your daughter is to be expected. There are no data on the probability of “getting rid of“ this germ.

From the background of the experience with this germ in our clinic I can say that we found it temporarily in swaps or sputum of CF patients, that we did not treat it and that the germ disappeared again by itself.

All the best for you,

Silke van Koningsbruggen

27.11.2008