Abstract

An In-Depth Analysis of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: A Multi-Drug Resistant Pathogen

Author(s): Ciamak Ghazaei

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia relates to an aerobic, gram-negative, motile, as well as non-fermentative bacillus widely considered an opportunistic pathogen. In most cases, it leads to infection in persons with immunosuppression, malignancies, and organ transplantation. As an organism, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an opportunist acquired from the environment and has been found to have limited ability to cause infections or colonize patients. Nonetheless, contaminated water of medical instruments in hospital environments are the principal causes of infection. Indeed, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has been demonstrated to cause blood stream infections as well as pneumonia with substantial morbidity immuno-suppressed patients. In turn, intrinsic resistance inhibits infection management to various antibiotic classes. Prevention is dependent upon the utilization of modern practices including an emphasis on the antibiotic control use, as well as environmental reservoirs.