[Proper use of antibiotics--what is that?].

Antibiotics are one of the cornerstones of modern medicine. During the last 20 years there has been an alarming world-wide spread of multiple-resistant bacteria. One of the main reasons is the overuse of all types of antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum drugs. This paper gives general advice on antibiotic therapy in Norway. We adovcate the use of drugs with little ecological impact, such as the penicillins. Whenever possible, empiric treatment with macrolides, tetracyclines cefalosporines, imipenem and fluoroquinolones should be avoided.