Serratia most commonly causes urinary tract infections, but it can also cause respiratory and wound infections as well, depending on the means by which the organism gains entry into the body. Serratia currently accounts for about 2% of all hospital acquired infections in the United States and shows no likelihood of slowing its spread.
Pink Stains in Bathrooms
Serratia is hardy, withstanding some common forms of disinfection and also thriving in colder temperatures. Serratia is even resistant over the long-term to household bleach solutions. This can be problematic for home owners as well as for those responsible for the cleaning and disinfection of healthcare environments since Serratia is very commonly found in bathrooms or restrooms in both the household and commercial settings. The presence of Serratia should be strongly suspected whenever there is a pink pigmented residue that may be slightly slimy looking, or feeling, in wet areas such as toilets rims, shower stalls, bathroom corners, and sinks. These colored patches are likely to be Serratia bacterial colonies.
Why Remove Serratia
While the presence of Serratia may not constitute a public health emergency it certainly indicates that the environment is contaminated and may not be as clean as many would prefer. The presence of Serratia could be a problem for households, or other environments, where immune compromised people live, work, or otherwise congregate, and this would include those who are very young, very old, unhealthy due to other medical conditions, immune suppressed due to medical treatment, or for other reasons. The presence of Serratia could also indicate contamination with urine or respiratory droplets. Serratia contamination should always be considered necessary to address in healthcare facilities of any type, and other settings that might find it desirable to resolve contamination with potentially disease causing Serratia include, but certainly are not limited to: homes, childcare settings, schools, waterparks amusement parks, lodging facilities, gyms, any public shower installations, physical therapy facilities, pharmacies, or any other facility frequented by the public.
Challenges to Removal of Serratia
While eradicating Serratia can be a challenge even in healthcare facilities that have access to a wide range of disinfecting agents, it can be an even greater challenge for households given the potential resistance of Serratia to cleaners that rely on bleach for their supposed disinfection capability. Many cleaners that claim to have disinfecting power in fact have never actually tested their product as effective against Serratia in particular, or against any other organisms in many cases, and they certainly have not gone through the arduous registration process with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be able to claim effectiveness against Serratia on their label. It would be ideal to have access to such a disinfecting agent for everyone from healthcare facilities to householders. And, now, fortunately it is easy to access exactly such a disinfectant!
MoldStat Family of Products
Welcome to the MoldStat family of disinfecting and cleaning products. Despite the widespread nature of Serratia, contamination is easy to control by using a member of the Mold-Stat family of products. Unlike many other cleaners and disinfectants available for use in both the household and the healthcare settings, the MoldStat product line is EPA certified and registered as effective against Serratia, specifically against Serratia marcescens.
