The in vitro activities of five new quinolones (clinafloxacin [CI-960 or PD-127391], BAY Y 3118, E-4868, E-5065, and E-5068) against 100 Bacteroides fragilis group bacterial isolates were compared with those of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and sparfloxacin. Overall, E-5068 was the most active in vitro (MIC for 90% of isolates tested [MIC90], 0.25 microgram/ml); this was followed by clinafloxacin and BAY Y 3118 (MIC90, 0.5 microgram/ml). Ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, and ofloxacin were the least active (MIC90s, 64, 16, and 16 micrograms/ml, respectively). B. fragilis and Bacteroides caccae were more susceptible than the other members of the B. fragilis group to all of the quinolones tested.