Serratia marcescens lung abscess with review of a Japanese national inpatient database

Abstract

Radiographic examination of an 80-year-old male patient with diabetes mellitus taking prednisolone (30 mg per day) for IgG₄-related disease (cholangitis and pancreatitis) indicated consolidation within the lung cavity. Repeated bronchoscopies allowed us to diagnose a lung abscess caused by Serratia marcescens. Treatment with cephem antibiotics was effective, and was continued for 3 months. There was no sign of relapse. Serratia marcescens lung abscess is relatively rare, as we found only 14 cases pneumonia of Serratia species in 1.5 million cases of hospitalized patients in national administrative database of Japan.