Four hundred and fifty-nine blood culture isolates were tested for susceptibility to ticarcillin alone and ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid, a potent beta-lactamase inhibitor. The susceptibilities of the Staphylococcus aureus strains to cloxacillin, methicillin, vancomycin, rifampicin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone and moxalactam and of the gram-negative strains to Augmentin, azlocillin, mezlocillin, piperacillin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, cefsulodin and tobramycin were also measured. Seventy-one percent of staphylococcal strains were beta-lactamase positive. In the presence of clavulanic acid the ticarcillin spectrum was extended to include beta-lactamase producing Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens and Klebsiella. All the ticarcillin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were rendered ticarcillin-sensitive by clavulanic acid. The anti-Pseudomonas activity of ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid differed little from that of azlocillin and piperacillin and was comparable to that of the third generation cephalosporins. The combination of ticarcillin with clavulanic acid should be tested in the treatment of patients with infections caused by ticarcillin-sensitive and ticarcillin-resistant bacteria.