"Superbug"infections are increasing in U.S. hospitals, and a coalition of medical groups has now issued a set of updated recommendations to protect patients.

These guidelines are meant to prevent the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, the authors of the recommendations argue.

MRSA causes about 10% of hospital-associated infections in ...

Pfizer Inc. warned doctors this week of an impending shortage of Bicillin, its long-acting, injectable form of penicillin.

The medication is not commonly used for children because alternatives such as amoxicillin are preferred over the Bicillin shot, the company explained in a stat...

Babies around the world are dying because the antibiotics used to treat sepsis infections in hospitals are losing their effectiveness, a new report warns.

A team of 80 researchers from four continents has been studying the issue of antibiotic-resistance and newborn sepsis in 19 hospitals.

"The observational study has been instrumental in providing the high-quality data that we ...

About half of extremely preterm babies have at least one life-threatening bacterial infection in their bloodstream after 72 hours of life.

Now, new research points to the babies' own gut microbiomes as the source.

Knowing that the most common bacteria in bloodstream infections are also commonly found to colonize the gut without causing disease at first, researchers set out to test...

Patients hospitalized with pneumonia typically stay on IV antibiotics until they're stable, after about three days, but a new study suggests a different option.

Researchers report that more patients who have community-acquired pneumonia could switch sooner to oral antibiotics. Antibiotics given as pills were also linked with earlier release from the hospital. They were not associated with...

A "morning after" dose of a common antibiotic can greatly lower the chances of sexually transmitted bacterial infections in high-risk people, a new clinical trial has found.

Researchers discovered that taking the antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours of unprotected sex slashed the risk of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis by two-thirds among gay and bisexual men and transgender women who...

A family vacation to remember, but maybe not for the best reasons.

Doctors report on an unusual case where a hungry iguana bit a vacationing toddler's hand, passing on an infection with a germ called Mycobacterium marinum.

A 3-year-old girl named Lena Mars, of San Jose, Ca., was visiting Costa Rica with her family and eating cake while sitting on the beach. Suddenly an igua...

In more bad news about antibiotic resistance, new research suggests that people and their pets may be able to transmit multidrug-resistant germs to each other.

Still, cases of cross-transmission are rare and it's not clear if pets are giving germs to people or people are giving germs to their pets, the study authors noted.

"In urban areas in high-income countries, pets do not seem ...

A common antibiotic taken shortly after sex by folks in high-risk groups may help stem the spread of some sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Using doxycycline about 72 hours after unprotected sex effectively prevented chlamydia and syphilis cases in men who have sex with men and in transgender women, research presented last month at the

Public health officials are warning about an increase in drug-resistant strains of the bacteria shigella.

About 5% of shigella infections reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year were caused by the drug-resistant XDR strain. That compares to 0% in 2015.

Limited treatment options exist for people infected with XDR strains. The bacteria are easily tran...

When testing determines that a patient who was thought to be allergic to penicillin actually is not, the warning is expected to be removed from their charts and pharmacy records.

But that "de-labeling" is not always happening.

"Penicillin allergy labels are associated with increased health care cost burdens as well as adverse events for patients,"said lead author