With increasing resistance to existing antibiotics and little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in new ones, developing countries face a serious challenge combating killer diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid fever. SciDev.net has put together a package of news, comment and analysis on this topic, which links closely to the STEPS Centre’s Rethinking Regulation project.

Read SciDev.Net’s new spotlight on antibiotic resistance

SciDev.Net’s online resource highlights the need to raise public awareness of the situation and calls on governments to safeguard the future of their populations’ health by prioritising drug resistance monitoring and educating healthcare workers. The package gives views and information about the scale of the problem, drivers of resistance, the economic implications of growing resistance, diagnostics, and investment into new drugs.

Editorial
Surveillance vital for tackling antibiotic resistanceInternational surveillance systems are needed to curb the rise of antibiotic resistance, says Hajo Grundmann.

Features
Antibiotic resistance: Frequently asked questionsPriya Shetty answers some common questions surrounding antibiotic resistance, and the dangers for the developing world.

Antibiotic resistance and the developing worldMany factors are increasing antibiotic resistance, and authorities, doctors and patients all have a role in fighting it, writes Jia Hepeng.

Opinions
Reducing antibiotics not enough to stem resistance Reducing antibiotic use is not enough to curb the rise of resistance in the developing world, say Zulfiqar A. Bhutta and Syed Rehan Ali.

Antibiotic resistance calls for better diagnostic labs Tackling antibiotic resistance requires well-run diagnostic laboratories, says Pradeep Seth.

Prizes, not prices, to stimulate antibiotic R&D With the worldwide growth of resistance, new antibiotics are increasingly needed. But R&D can be expensive and time-consuming, says James Love.