Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia, a phytopathogen and a potential ag
ent for biological control because of its antimicrobial and degradativ
e properties, has emerged as a multiresistant human opportunistic orga
nism. The rate of nosocomial infections is low, nevertheless outbreaks
due to contaminated solutions or materials are regularly reported. Pu
lmonary colonizations or infections are a major concern for patients w
ith cystic fibrosis (CF), due to the occurrence in approximately 20 %
of colonized patients of the ''cepacia syndrome'', a rapidly fatal nec
rotizing pneumonia sometimes associated with septicemia. Moreover, per
son-to-person transmissibility of some clones is described, such as th
e ET12 strain in Canada and in the United Kingdom. in France, the prev
alence of B. cepacia in patients with CF is close to 3 %, with an unev
en distribution of cases among CF centers. Genotype analyses have lead
to the identification of five epidemic clones, one of which is ubiqui
tous. The biological diagnosis requires the use of selective media and
adequate incubation procedures. Epidemiological investigations are fa
cilitated by the recent development of rapid PCR typing tools. Questio
ns are still raised as to: taxonomy (since subgroups and even new spec
ies have been recently described within the cepacia group), pathogenic
ity (the characterization of virulence and transmissibility factors is
required for a better understanding of the infectious potential of th
is organism), epidemiology (the relations between environmental and cl
inical isolates need clarification).