MICs of eight beta-lactams (piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, ticarcillin, ticarcillin-clavulanate, ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone) were determined by agar dilution against 64 penicillin-susceptible, 70 intermediately penicillin-resistant, and 66 fully penicillin-resistant pneumococci. The MICs of piperacillin with and without tazobactam for 90% of the susceptible, intermediately resistant, and resistant strains tested (MIC90s) were < or = 0.064, 2.0, and 4.0 micrograms/ml, respectively. By comparison, those of ampicillin with and without sulbactam were 0.125, 2.0, and 4.0 micrograms/ml and those of ceftriaxone were < or = 0.064, 1.0, and 2.0 micrograms/ml, respectively. Strains were less susceptible to ticarcillin with and without clavulanate (MIC90s, 2.0, 64.0, and 128.0 micrograms/ml) and ceftazidime (MIC90s, 1.0, 8.0, and 32.0 micrograms/ml).