Aim:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of tigecycline in methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolated from patients hospitalized in intensive care units.

Methods:

We investigated methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolated from blood, wound, urine, catheter tips, endotacheal aspiration fluids (ETA), and sputum specimens of patients hospitalized in the coronary and surgical intensive care units at İstanbul University Cardiology Institute, between June 2014 and December 2015. All staphylococci were identified by the conventional methods and susceptibility testing was performed using Mueller-Hinton Agar by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.

Results:

Of 67 methicillin-resistant staphylococci, 37 (55.2%) were Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 30 (44.8%) were coagulase negative staphylococci (MRCNS). MRSA were isolated from blood (20), wound (10), ETA (3), urine (2), catheter tips (1) and sputum (1). MRCNS were also identified in blood (20) and wound (10). All staphylococci were susceptible to tigecycline.

Conclusion:

In our study, tigecycline was effective against all methicillin resistant staphylococci. Tigecycline can be an alternative to other drugs against infections caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococci.

Keywords: Intensive care unit, methicillin resistant staphylococci, tigecycline