The susceptibility of ten clinical isolates and a standard reference strain, ATCC25238, of Moraxella catarrhalis to 22 beta-lactam antibiotics was examined and compared with that of Escherichia coli strain B. All the strains of M. catarrhalis tested, especially the non beta-lactamase-producing strain ATCC25238, were more susceptible to a rang of structurally unrelated beta-lactam antibiotics, including small Mr carbapenems, than E. coli B. The permeability of the M. catarrhalis outer membrane to beta-lactam antibiotics was examined by the swelling technique with proteoliposomes reconstituted from outer membranes. The diffusion rate of beta-lactams through the liposome membrane was inversely related to their Mr, a relationship which might be expected for entry by diffusion through a porin.