Serratia

Ser·ra·tia

noun \se-ˈrā-sh(ē-)ə\

Definition of SERRATIA

: a genus of aerobic saprophytic flagellated rod-shaped bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae that occur as rods, commonly produce a bright red pigment, and include one (S. marcescens) associated with some human opportunistic infections

Biographical Note for SERRATIA

Ser·ra·ti \se-ˈrä-tē\ , Serafino Italian boatman. The genus Serratia was so named in 1823 by Bartolomeo Bizio, a bacteriologist at the University of Padua, Italy, in honor of Serrati, who was engaged in operating a steamboat on the Arno River.