Infectious diseases represent a continuous and increasing threat to human health and welfare. Due to emerging diseases, increasing resistances, international travelling, and the risk of bioterroristic attacks, infectious diseases concern the whole world and can only be combated by internationally coordinated and interdisciplinary approaches. When assessing the worldwide publication activities on infectious diseases in the years 1994-2004 accessible via the ISI Science Citation Index Expanded, an overall increase by 24% can be monitored. Furthermore, it becomes evident that highest research priorities are given to HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, respiratory infections, and sepsis. Ten countries - including the USA, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan - contributed to more than 80% of these publications; nation-specific research priorities focusing on the current problems in the respective country can be estimated. Countries with the highest disease burdens are still not given the opportunity to contribute adequately to the scientific field. Based on our data, relatively increasing publication activities include those on respiratory infections, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis, and sepsis, whereas decreasing activities were determined for AIDS, diarrhoea, meningitis, schistosomiasis, and other diseases. Accordingly, the prevalence of many infectious diseases occurring in tropical countries is not clearly reflected in the worldwide publication activities.