They're stubborn infections that have been called "super-bugs." antibiotic-resistant staph infections are a growing problem in the united states. The estimated number of cases tripled during a  5 year period that ended in 2005, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While 85% of the infections come from medical settings, 15% are picked up in gyms, prisons, military and other community settings. The CDC estimates there were 94,000 staph infections in the United States in 2005 and nearly 19,000 people died as a result.

Infections were highest among older patients and blacks were twice as likely to be infected as whites.        

If you're a parent, you'll want to listen up.  A small strain of the same bacteria that can cause ear infections and meningitis in kids has become resistant to most antibiotics -- and to the pneumococcal vaccine that was developed to fight the bacteria.  University of Rochester researchers found a small number of children contracted a strain of the bacteria resistant to the current vaccine, as well as most antibiotics.

This means the vaccine will need to be updated sooner than expected.