This report reviews 44 episodes of serratia bacteremia over a 9-year period (1980–1988) in a community-teaching hospital in the USA. The median age of patients was 64 years and 34% of the patients were older than 70 years. Nosocomial acquisition of bacteremia occurred in 70% of episodes, and 11% of patients were admitted from nursing homes. Nine episodes (20%) were polymicrobial bacteremia. The major portals of entry were the lower respiratory tract (11 episodes) and the urinary tract (6 episodes). The overall mortality was 52%. Factors that adversely influenced the mortality rate were rapidly fatal and ultimately fatal underlying conditions (p < 0.001), platelet counts ≤100 ≤ 10⁰/l at the onset of bacteremia (p<0.01), and total serum bilirubin >18 μmol/l at the onset of bacteremia (p<0.01). All serratia strains tested were susceptible to gentamicin, kanamycin, amikacin and ceftizoxime.