Burkholderia cepacia and cystic-fibrosis — do natural environments present a potential hazard

An environmental survey of 55 sites yielded only 12 Burkholderia cepacia isolates, none of which displayed the phenotypic properties of a multiresistant epidemic strain associated with pulmonary colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis. Although the environment probably poses a low risk for patients with cystic fibrosis as a source of B. cepacia, the pathogenic potential of individual environmental strains remains unclear. We advise caution in the development of B. cepacia as a biocontrol agent. First described in 1950 by Burkholder (5) as the cause of soft rot of onions, Burkholderia cepacia (basonym Pseudomonas cepacia) is now of wider and increasing interest in agriculture, biotechnology, and medicine. Reasons for this interest include the organism’s abilities to promote plant growth by antagoniz-ing soilborne plant pathogens (15, 16, 25), to degrade hydro-carbons and thus assist in the bioremediation of contaminated soil and water (11), and to cause opportunistic human infec-tions, particularly in patients with chronic granulomatous dis-ease (22, 30) and cystic fibrosis (CF) (1, 14, 19, 36). In patient