Use of oral tetracyclines in the treatment of adult outpatients with skin and skin structure infections: Focus on doxycycline, minocycline, and omadacycline

Abstract

Oral tetracyclines have been used in clinical practice for over 60 years. One of the most common indications for use of oral tetracyclines is for treatment of adult outpatients with skin and soft infections (SSTIs), including acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs). The 2014 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) skin and soft tissue guideline strongly recommends sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, clindamycin, and tetracyclines as oral treatment options for patients with purulent SSTIs, especially when methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus is of clinical concern. Despite the long‐standing use of tetracyclines, practice patterns indicate that they are often considered after other guideline‐concordant oral options for the treatment of patients with SSTIs. Clinicians may therefore be less familiar with the clinical data associated with use of commercially available tetracycline agents for treatment of patients with SSTI. This review summarizes the literature on the use of oral tetracyclines (ie, doxycycline, minocycline, and omadacycline) for the treatment of adult patients with SSTIs. As part of this review, we describe their common mechanisms of resistance, susceptibility profiles against common SSTI pathogens, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and comparative clinical data.