Burkholderia cepacia genomovar III is a common plant-associated bacterium

A polyphasic taxonomic study involving DNA-DNA hybridization, whole-cell pr otein electrophoresis, and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis revealed tha t a group of Burkholderia cepacia-like organisms isolated from the rhizosph ere or tissues of maize, wheat, and lupine belong to B. cepacia genomovar I II, a genomic species associated with "cepacia syndrome" in cystic fibrosis patients. The present study also revealed considerable protein electrophor etic heterogeneity within this species and demonstrated that the B. cepacia complex consists of two independent phylogenetic lineages.