The pharmacokinetics of dibekacin were studied in the rabbit with a dosage regimen of 2 mg/kg at intervals of 12 h. The drug was administered by iv bolus injection, iv infusion and im injection. Twenty-four hours after the fifth dose, dibekacin concentrations in the renal cortex and medulla, liver, lung and heart were determined. The plasma concentrations showed significant differences between the first and fifth dose when the antibiotic was administered by iv bolus injection. The tissue concentrations also varied significantly according to the route of administration with higher tissue concentrations occurring after iv bolus injection. Tissue binding also varied according to the route of administration and was greatest for the renal cortex and medulla, followed by the lung, liver and heart.