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Similarities and differences between doxycycline and minocycline: clinical and antimicrobial stewardship considerations

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Abstract

Doxycycline and, to a lesser extent, minocycline, have been used for decades to treat various serious systemic infections, but many physicians remain unfamiliar with their spectrum, interpretation of susceptibility results, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties, optimal dosing regimens, and their activity against MRSA, VRE, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli, e.g., Acinetobacter sp. This article reviews the optimal use of doxycycline and minocycline to treat a variety of infections and when minocycline is preferred instead of doxycycline.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital, 22 Station Plaza North (#432), Mineola, NY, 11501, USA

    B. A. Cunha

  2. School of Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    B. A. Cunha

  3. Pharmacy Department, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA

    J. Baron

  4. School of Medicine, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    J. Baron

  5. Infectious Disease Division, Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    C. B. Cunha

  6. Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    C. B. Cunha

Authors
  1. B. A. Cunha
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  2. J. Baron
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  3. C. B. Cunha
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Correspondence to B. A. Cunha.

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Cunha, B.A., Baron, J. & Cunha, C.B. Similarities and differences between doxycycline and minocycline: clinical and antimicrobial stewardship considerations. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 37, 15–20 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3081-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-017-3081-x

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