Intravenous tigecycline in the treatment of severe recurrent Clostridium difficile colitis

To the Editor: Interest in alternative therapies for Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) is increasing as these infections become important causes of patient morbidity and mortality. Recurrent CDIs can be severe and difficult to treat. In-vitro data,1 followed by reports of the efficacy of tigecycline in the treatment of severe refractory cases of CDI,2 suggest that tigecycline should be considered as an alternative or adjunctive antimicrobial agent in these situations. To date, it has been used mostly as a “salvage” strategy in combination with other antibiotics in the face of clinical deterioration.2,3 We report the successful use of tigecycline monotherapy in the treatment of a patient with recurrent C. difficile colitis.