Intranasal (i.n.) instillation of different amounts of purified Stenotrophomonas maltophilia flagellin preparation (1, 5 and 15 microg) in BALB/c mice stimulated a transient innate immune response in the lungs. This was characterized by infiltration of different kinds of leukocytes (neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes), production of various inflammatory mediators (tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 10, nitric oxide, myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde) and activated alveolar macrophages (AMs). The proinflammatory cytokine production resulted in accumulation of activated neutrophils and macrophages and their products following immunostimulation with flagellin. The activation of AMs by flagellin was non-specific as AMs obtained from flagellin-treated animals, even after 4 h of exposure, were found to engulf and kill S. maltophilia and Staphylococcus aureus efficiently compared to macrophages obtained from control animals. i.n. instillation of 5 microg flagellin resulted in the generation of an effective innate immunity compared to other flagellin doses. Our data provide strong evidence that S. maltophilia flagellin stimulates innate immunity in mouse lung.