Acute necrotizing pancreatitis related to tigecycline

Because we are confronted with the increasing use of tigecycline for the treatment of infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria, it is important to note that two recent meta-analyses raise concerns about the efficacy and safety of therapy with this antibiotic. A higher overall mortality and a higher incidence of adverse effects, especially nausea and vomiting, have been observed with tigecycline compared with other regimens.1,2 Tigecycline-induced acute pancreatitis is considered an uncommon event, with an estimated incidence between 1% and 1‰. The mechanism remains unknown.3 Five cases of interstitial or oedematous pancreatitis have been reported, all of which occurred during the second week of therapy in patients without other risk factors for pancreatitis. None of the patients required intensive care.3,4 To our knowledge, we report on the first case of acute necrotizing pancreatitis related to tigecycline.