Serratia marcescens as a cause of postoperative infection in a total joint implant.

Serratia marcescens is a rare cause of musculoskeletal infections and osteomyelitis occurring most frequently in nosocomial infections, debilitated patients, drug addicts, and traumatic open wounds. It is rarely a cause of postoperative infection in elective surgery with only a few such cases being reported in the United States and European literature. The authors present a case of Serratia marcescens infection of a total joint implant from an apparent perioperative source and review the literature concerning this organism as a cause of infection in man.