The Serratia marcescens Siderophore Serratiochelin Is Necessary for Full Virulence during Bloodstream Infection

Abstract

Serratia marcescens is a bacterium frequently found in the environment, but over the last several decades it has evolved into a concerning clinical pathogen, causing fatal bacteremia. To establish such infections, pathogens require specific nutrients; one very limited but essential nutrient is iron. We sought to characterize the iron acquisition systems in S. marcescens isolate UMH9, which was recovered from a clinical bloodstream infection. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we identified two predicted siderophore gene clusters ( cbs and sch ) that were regulated by iron.