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A total of 83 clinical isolates of Serratia liquefaciens from 81 patients were biotyped, bacteriocin typed (with group A phage tail bacteriocins from S. marcescens), and serogrouped. Biotyping afforded least discrimination, because 71 of the 83 isolates (85.5%) comprised 2 biotypes; the remainder were of 5 different biotypes. Bacteriocin typing differentiated 70 of the 83 isolates (84.3%) into 20 types. Polyclonal rabbit anti-O immune sera identified 16 O-antigens, and all 83 isolates could be serogrouped.

Polyclonal anti-H rabbit immune sera differentiated 12 flagellar (H) antigens among 79 motile of 83 clinical isolates of Serratia liquefaciens from 81 patients. Seven of the anti-H S. liquefaciens sera cross-reacted with H-antigens of S. marcescens, specifically anti-S. liquefaciens H6, H7, H8, H9, H10, H11, and H12 with S. marcescens H-antigens H7, H8, H12, H14, H5, H3, and H17, respectively. These cross-reactions were reciprocal.