The epidemiologic, clinical and prognostic characteristics of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteremias for a six-year period (January 1993 to December 1998) were reviewed. Twenty episodes of S. maltophilia bacteremia were include, which represented 0.62% of all bacteremias caused by gram-negative rods during that period. Seventy percent of bacteremias were clinically significant. The most common predisposing factors were the previous use of antimicrobial agents and the presence of vascular catheters. In most cases (57%), the origin of bacteremia was the intravascular catheter. The course of patients was favorable and all patients cured.