The authors report a toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) due to ampicillin (Agram) in a 2-year-old child. During the acute phase a septic syndrome occurred. The severity of the clinical and biological symptoms led to the administration of antibiotics, their systematic use remaining controversial. Recovery was favourable in a paediatric burn centre. Sequelae were minor. TEN, the physiopathological mechanism of which remaining still unknown, may carry a vital risk.