More than 250 Providencia strains isolated from the urine of institutionalized elderly patients were tested against cefaclor, cefuroxime, cefetamet, cefpodoxime, ciprofloxacin, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Our results confirm the strong activities of expanded-spectrum oral cephalosporins against Providencia isolates, f1p4ell as the marked differences in susceptibilities among accurately identified Providencia species.