Prepare for the Antibacterials (ABX) Exam. Study with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each question comes with hints and explanations. Get ready to ace your test!

Multiple Choice

Tigecycline covers which of the following bacteria?

Tigecycline is a glycylcycline designed to overcome common tetracycline resistance and has strong activity against resistant Gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). It achieves this because it binds the 30S ribosomal subunit with higher affinity and is a poor substrate for the usual tetracycline efflux pumps, so it remains active where many other agents fail. Among the choices, MRSA and VRE are the organisms tigecycline is reliably active against, making that option the best fit. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not reliably covered by tigecycline, and while its activity against some Gram-negatives (like many Enterobacteriaceae) exists, it does not define the drug’s hallmark—hence the preferred choice focuses on the resistant Gram-positive pathogens.

Tigecycline is a glycylcycline designed to overcome common tetracycline resistance and has strong activity against resistant Gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). It achieves this because it binds the 30S ribosomal subunit with higher affinity and is a poor substrate for the usual tetracycline efflux pumps, so it remains active where many other agents fail.

Among the choices, MRSA and VRE are the organisms tigecycline is reliably active against, making that option the best fit. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not reliably covered by tigecycline, and while its activity against some Gram-negatives (like many Enterobacteriaceae) exists, it does not define the drug’s hallmark—hence the preferred choice focuses on the resistant Gram-positive pathogens.