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However, it has not yet been characterized for the bacteria within the emerging multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Stenotrophomonas maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether bacteria of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">S. maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex form a bona fide polysaccharide capsule and determine its virulence-related functions. We demonstrated that a part of clinical and environmental isolates of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">S. maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex forms a polysaccharide capsule and identified a distinct group IV-like, Wzx\/Wzy-dependent capsule-associated locus architecture in these bacteria, with capsule-associated genes organized within one or two loci. Comparison of capsulated clinical isolates and their capsule-deficient mutants showed that the polysaccharide capsule protects bacteria of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">S. maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex from blood plasma-mediated killing, phagocytosis, and desiccation. However, formation of the polysaccharide capsule can also limit biofilm formation and adhesion to epithelial cells in some isolates, suggesting a potential trade-off for the bacteria. Altogether, our results pinpoint the polysaccharide capsule as one of the previously undescribed virulence-associated factors of the\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">S. maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                      complex, enhancing its ability to escape host innate immunity mechanisms and contributing to pathogenicity.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                    <jats:sec>\n                      <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n                      <jats:p>\n                        The emerging pathogens employ a variety of diverse virulence strategies, which must be thoroughly investigated to uncover effective ways of preventing and combating their infections. In this work, emerging multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens belonging to the\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Stenotrophomonas maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                        complex were analyzed, with the goal of identifying their mechanisms responsible for evasion of the host immune system. A polysaccharide capsule, a previously uncharacterized virulence-associated trait of\n                        <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">S. maltophilia<\/jats:italic>\n                        complex bacteria, was identified and characterized in this work, revealing both the genetic factors required for its synthesis and its biological importance to the bacteria. This work expands our understanding of the survival strategies of emerging multidrug-resistant bacteria.\n                      <\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:sec>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/mbio.01635-26","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T13:00:50Z","timestamp":1789131650000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The role of the polysaccharide capsule as a novel virulence-associated trait of\n                    <i>Stenotrophomonas maltophilia<\/i>\n                    complex bacteria"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7090-0707","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Laurita","family":"Klimkait\u0117","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03nadee84","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Biochemistry and 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