From January 1988 to August 1989, 267 non-repetitive strains of Enterobacteriaceae producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBla) derived from TEM (CTX-1/ TEM-3, CAZ-6) or SHV (CAZ-5) were isolated from 219 colonized or infected patients. ESBlas were characterized by analytical isoelectric focusing. Biotypes, resistance phenotypes and plasmid patterns were determined in order to differentiate the isolates in each species. Among the 116 CTX-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae, 48 strains were differentiated: 27 from 74 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, seven from 22 Enterobacter aerogenes isolates, and 14 from a combined total of seven K. oxytoca, five Serratia marcescens, six Escherichia coli, 1 Enterobacter cloacae and 1 Citrobacter freundii. CAZ-5 has been isolated since January 1988 in 16 different strains among 101 K. pneumoniae isolates. CAZ-6 was first identified in K. pneumoniae (January 1988). Among the 48 Enterobacteriaceae producing CAZ-6, 12 strains were differentiated: four from 39 E. aerogenes isolates, three from four K. pneumoniae, and five from a combined total of two S. marcescens, two E. coli and one E. cloacae. During this outbreak, CTX-1 was found to be encoded by 85 kb (Inc 7/M) or ≥ 150 kb (Inc 6/C) plasmids. CAZ-6 was always encoded by an 85 kb (Inc 7/M) plasmid and CAZ-5 by a > 150 kb plasmid. These results show that strain epidemics and plasmid dissemination occurred mainly in K. pneumoniae and E. aerogenes for CTX-1, in E. aerogenes for CAZ-6, and in K. pneumoniae for CAZ-5. They also suggest that the blatem gene (CTX-1) has spread between different plasmids present in the same ecosystem.