Editorial overview: Antimicrobials: grappling with the complexities of antibiotics and resistance.

The increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections coupled with a declining antibiotic pipeline is creating a global public health threat. Since conventional antibiotic discovery has failed to keep pace with the rise of resistance, novel approaches and rejuvenated efforts are needed to address this growing crisis. In this issue, the case is made that our antibiotic arsenal can be significantly enhanced by better understanding the actions of existing antibiotics and exploiting the bacterial responses induced by antibiotics and other lethal stresses.