Comamonas testosteroni is a Gram-negative environmental bacterium capable of utilizing testosterone as a carbon source, and degrading other sterols such as ergosterol and estrogens. Strain I2gfp has been used in bioaugmentation trials, in attempts to treat the industrial byproduct 3-chloroaniline. It was first classified as a human pathogen in 1987 according to the National Library of Medicine. A number of strains of Comamonas, including C. testosteroni, have been shown to consume terephthalic acid, one of the components of PET plastic, as a sole carbon source.

Virulence

Though these organisms have low virulence, they can occasionally cause human diseases. They can be found in intravenous catheters, the respiratory tract, abdomen, urinary tract, and the central nervous system. Symptoms of infection may variously include vomiting, watery diarrhea, and meningitis.