The invention provides a method for treating bacterial infections. In one aspect, the invention comprises orally administering a pharmaceutical composition to an animal, wherein the composition comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and an antibacterial effective amount of negamycin, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, prodrug or isomer thereof. An aspect of the invention also relates to a method of treating a bacterial infection, wherein the method comprises intravenously administering a pharmaceutical composition to an animal, and wherein the composition comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and an antibacterial effective amount of deoxynegamycin, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, prodrug or isomer thereof. An aspect of the invention also relates to a method of treating a bacterial infection, wherein the method comprises administering to an animal an antibacterial effective amount of negamycin or deoxynegamycin, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, prodrug or isomer thereof, and wherein the infecting bacteria are selected from a group of bacteria consisting of the following: Acinetobacter baumanii, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus GISA, Staphylococcus epidermis, Streptococcus pneumoniae PenR, Streptococcus pneumoniae PenS and Streptococcus pyogenes.