Category:Tetracyclines

From Ganfyd

Chlortetracycline was discovered by Benjamin M. Duggar in 1948 as a fungal product in soil near cemeteries. Other tetracyclines rapidly followed from Streptomyces spp. and rapidly found a place in therapy as the first broadspectrum antibiotics with relatively low toxicity. Tigecycline is structurally related.

Despite antibiotic resistance limiting their general usefulness, tetracyclines remain the treatment of choice for:

• Chlamydia
  • Trachoma
  • Psittacosis
  • Non-gonococcal urethritis, salpingitis and lymphogranuloma venereum
• Rickettsia
  • Q fever
• Brucellosis (in combination with Rifampicin)
• Lyme disease (Borrelia)

Recently doxycycline has been used more often in infective exacerbations COPD as it seems less likely to cause C difficile infections.

Minocycline has the broadest spectrum and so has a place with Neisseria meningitidis prophylaxis despite its higher general likelihood of toxicity.

Doxycyline can be used for MRSA skin infections.

Contra-indications

• Pregnancy as teeth staining in fetus but this effect may be absent with doxycycline
• Children under 12
  • Teeth staining and dental hypoplasia
• Renal failure

Cautions and Interactions

• Hepatic failure
• Myasthenia gravis
• SLE

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