Tigecycline as a Second-Line Agent for Legionnaires' Disease in Severely Ill Patients

Treatment of Legionnaires' disease in severely ill or immunosuppressed patients presents a clinical challenge. Tigecycline (TG) achieves high concentrations intracellularly and has been shown to be effective against L. pneumophila in animal and cell models. We report our experience using TG as second-line therapy. Clinical response was seen in most patients after switching to TG alone or as a combination therapy.