title: The versatility and adaptation of bacteria from the genus Stenotrophomonas.
abstract: The genus Stenotrophomonas comprises at least eight species. These bacteria are found throughout the environment, particularly in close association with plants. Strains of the most predominant species, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, have an extraordinary range of activities that include beneficial effects for plant growth and health, the breakdown of natural and man-made pollutants that are central to bioremediation and phytoremediation strategies and the production of biomolecules of economic value, as well as detrimental effects, such as multidrug resistance, in human pathogenic strains. Here, we discuss the versatility of the bacteria in the genus Stenotrophomonas and the insight that comparative genomic analysis of clinical and endophytic isolates of S. maltophilia has brought to our understanding of the adaptation of this genus to various niches.
authors.affiliation: BIOMERIT Research Centre, Department of Microbiology, BioSciences Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. r.ryan@ucc.ie
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Sebastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monchy
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardinale
authors.forename: Safiyh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taghavi
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crossman
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Avison
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der Lelie
authors.forename: J Maxwell
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dow
mesh_terms: D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D020588:Stenotrophomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D020615:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity