Sixteen Escherichia coli clinical isolates which were resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate but susceptible to cephalothin were studied. Eight strains showed the presence of a beta-lactamase which comigrates with reference OXA-1 enzyme. The eight other strains produced different TEM-1 derivatives which had in common a higher Km for penicillins and a higher 50% inhibitory concentration for the beta-lactamase inhibitors. By oligotyping and sequencing of PCR products, it was shown that Ser (AGC) (TEM-30; also called TRI-1) in three strains and Cys (TGC) (TEM-31; also called TRI-2) in one strain were substituted for Arg-241 (CGC), that Leu (CTG) (TEM-33) and Val (GTG) (TEM-34) in one strain each were substituted for Met-67 (ATG), and that in other mutants the two latter substitutions occurred together with the substitution of Asp (GAT) (TEM-35 and TEM-36) for Asn-272 (AAT). Therefore, different sets of amino acid substitutions of TEM-1 can be found in clinical isolates and lead to resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitors.