The pharmacokinetics of ticarcillin 5.0 g and clavulanic acid 0.2 g were examined both alone and combined (3.0 or 5.0 g ticarcillin + 0.2 g clavulanic acid as 3.2 or 5.2 g timentin) after a 15 min infusion in ten healthy volunteers. At the same time, the serum bactericidal activity of 5.0 g ticarcillin alone and 5.2 g Timentin was determined against two ticarcillin resistant strains each of Klebsiella oxytoca and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the first and sixth hour after administration. The serum kinetics of both ticarcillin and clavulanic acid could best be described by an open 2-compartment model. Both substances showed similar kinetic behaviour in serum with a T 1/2 beta of 74.8 +/- 11.5 min for ticarcillin and 76.6 +/- 4.6 min for clavulanic acid. The total clearance of clavulanic acid was 158 +/- 23 ml/min and thus clearly exceeded that of ticarcillin (112 +/- 9 ml/min). The recovery rate in the 24 h urine was 41.3% for clavulanic acid as compared to 79.4% for ticarcillin. Concomitant administration of both substances led to a limited change in the kinetics of both ticarcillin and clavulanic acid. A significant enhancement of the serum bactericidal action of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid was only detected for both Klebsiella species and not for the Ps. aeruginosa species, and only in the first hour.