Abstract
Tigecycline is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that has been approved for the treatment of skin and soft-tissue infections as well as intra-abdominal infections. The Tigecycline Evaluation and Surveillance Trial (TEST) is a global, longitudinal surveillance study established in 2004 to monitor the in vitro activity of tigecycline and comparator agents against key Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. This report examines data obtained for 24 748 isolates collected across 24 European countries between 2004 and 2007. Tigecycline, meropenem and imipenem were the most active antimicrobial agents against most Gram-negative isolates including multidrug-resistant (15.7% of the isolates in this study), extended-spectrum β-lactamse (ESBL)-producing (8.5% of ) and ESBL-producing (13.6% of ). Only amikacin was active against >90% of isolates (92.8% susceptible). Tigecycline, linezolid and vancomycin were the most active agents against Gram-positive agents across Europe between 2004 and 2007, with tigecycline displaying the lowest MIC values (minimum inhibitory concentration for 90% of the organisms) against meticillin-resistant (26.5% of the collected isolates), vancomycin-resistant (15.7% of the strains) and penicillin-resistant (9.3% of the strains). Longitudinal analysis showed no increase in tigecycline MIC values over the 4-year study period, whilst increased resistance was noted for several comparator agents.