The Ax21 protein influences virulence and biofilm formation in the nosocomial pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an antibiotic resistant Gram-negative pathogen, which is associated with hospital-acquired infection. The genome encodes a protein highly related to the Ax21 protein of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae that is implicated in interactions of this plant pathogen with rice. Here we show that loss by mutation of Ax21 influences a variety of functions in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia , to include virulence, antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in this nosocomial pathogen.