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Data showing that the antibiotic doxycycline might prevent a sexually transmitted infection (STI) if taken soon after sex made headlines earlier this year.

As surging numbers of cases of syphilis and gonorrhea affect more Americans, here's what you need to know about using the drug.

“If you're actively having sex and not using ...

A new study on Clostridioides difficile infections finds that choosing an alternative antibiotic for high-risk patients with pneumonia can reduce infection risk.

C. diff infections can be deadly, and they are often acquired by hospitalized patients taking broad-spectrum antibiotics.  

More than 450,000 C. diff infections are reported in the United Sta...

Many antibiotics long used to treat common childhood infections are no longer effective because of antibiotic resistance.

The authors of a new study say global guidelines on antibiotic use need to be updated to reflect this, and they called for an increased focus on developing new antibiotics for in...

Millions of people undergo joint replacement surgery every year. To prevent infection, doctors often give them a second antibiotic -- but new research suggests this can backfire.

Adding a second antibiotic at the time of hip and knee replacement surgery may actually increase infections, researchers in Australia found.

“Given the number of joint replacements performed in Austr...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to recommend use of a powerful antibiotic to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

On Monday, the CDC issued dr...

New research shows that an antibiotic effective for bacterial pneumonia also appears to fight treatment-resistant staph infections.

The drug is ceftobiprole. It appeared successful in fighting methicillin-resistant staph infections, sometimes called MRSA. It showed similar benefit when tested against the antibiotic daptomycin to treat complicated Staphylococcus aureus infections....

New research on a leading cause of foodborne illness has linked a large share of Michigan infections to antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains.

More than 100 strains of Campylobacter jejuni circulating in Michigan are resistant to at least one antibiotic, according to researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. More th...

Most people with appendicitis who are given antibiotics — instead of having their appendix removed — fare well over the long haul, new research indicates.

The conclusion follows roughly two decades spent tracking patient outcomes in Sweden.

The study found that among those initially treated solely with antibiotics, rather than surgery, less than half ended up experiencing anothe...

Doctors who overprescribe antibiotics are often blamed for medication-resistant illnesses, but new research points to another potential culprit: air pollution.

Controlling air pollution could reduce antibiotic resistance, greatly reducing deaths and economic costs, according to a new in-depth global analysis were published Aug. 7 in The Lancet Planetary Health..

“An...

Testing children with a suspected sinus infection for three common bacteria might cut unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, a new study suggests.

Only half of kids with sinusitis -- inflammation or swelling of the sinuses -- show any improvement with antibiotics, which target bacterial infections, not viral infections, the researchers note.

"When a child comes in with a sore thro...

Infectious disease experts are warning that a shortage of a key antibiotic for treating the sexually transmitted infection syphilis could make it hard to fight the spread of the disease.

The United States already has a big problem with syphilis, with cases rising for more than 20 years. Cases increased nearly 75% between 2017 and 2021 alone, bringing the number to more than 176,000 in 202...

Bacteria found in hospital patients in Ukraine is showing extreme antibiotic resistance, making it harder to treat the wounded and ill in this war-torn country, new research warns.

“I am quite thick-skinned and have witnessed numerous situations involving patients and bacteria," said study author and bacteriologist

“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 infection...

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 w...

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