Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Global Opportunistic Pathogen

Abstract

SUMMARY: Stenotrophomonas maltophiliais an emerging multidrug-resistant global opportunistic pathogen. The increasing incidence of nosocomial and community-acquiredS. maltophiliainfections is of particular concern for immunocompromised individuals, as this bacterial pathogen is associated with a significant fatality/case ratio.S. maltophiliais an environmental bacterium found in aqueous habitats, including plant rhizospheres, animals, foods, and water sources. Infections ofS. maltophiliacan occur in a range of organs and tissues; the organism is commonly found in respiratory tract infections. This review summarizes the current literature and presentsS. maltophiliaas an organism with various molecular mechanisms used for colonization and infection.S. maltophiliacan be recovered from polymicrobial infections, most notably from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patients, as a cocolonizer withPseudomonas aeruginosa. Recent evidence of cell-cell communication between these pathogens has implications for the development of novel pharmacological therapies. Animal models ofS. maltophiliainfection have provided useful information about the type of host immune response induced by this opportunistic pathogen. Current and emerging treatments for patients infected withS. maltophiliaare discussed.