ABSTRACT
Penicillins have been the agents of choice for the therapy of bacterial infections at various body sites. Within the last three decades, an increased resistance to these drugs has been noticed. In addition to bacteria known to be penicillin-resistant, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacteriaceae, other previously susceptible organisms showed increased resistance due to several mechanisms including their ability to produce the enzyme betalactamase. These include aerobic and facultative bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae,1 Moraxella catarrhalis,1,2 and anaerobic gram-negative bacilli.3
