Eighties were characterized by the development of new antibiotic drugs and the introduction of systemic fluoroquinolones. The consumption of antibiotics at the Toulouse University Hospital was evaluated during the ten last years. Total consumption remained stable around 350,000 days of treatment. From 1980 to 1989, consumption of penicillins rose (from 36.6 to 43.7% due to the introduction of gram negative acting drugs). The increase in cephalosporin use (from 5.4 to 9.9%) is explained by the development of third-generation products. In contrast, we observed a decrease in the use of aminoglycosides (from 12.2 to 5.4%) tetracyclines and chloramphenicol (from 13.4 to 1.7%) as well as urinary quinolones (from 6.8 to 3.5%) without any variation of macrolides and drugs used in the chemotherapy of tuberculosis. In 1989, consumption of systemic quinolones raised 10% out of antibiotic drugs.