5t The 1 International Moxifloxacin symposium took place in Berlin Germany February 18 - 20,1999. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the medical and scientific communities to this exciting new fluoroquinolone and to define its role in the management of respiratory tract infections. The fluoroquinolones as a class are an important part of our therapeutic armamentarium and moxi­ floxacin is a unique addition to this class of compounds. This symposium brought together physician/scientists from around the world to present and discuss the moxifloxacin data. The information from this important meeting are presented in these proceedings and are organized under the following headings: Part I Antimicrobial chemotherapy Part II Pre-clinical microbiology Part III Pharmacology Part IV Clinical needs in the millennium Part V Round table discussion The modifications to the basic quinolone structure resulting in moxifloxacin have produced a drug with unique in vitro, and pharmacokinetic/pharmaco­ dynamic properties. The drug has a very broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, is well absorbed and can be taken only once daily. Its profile makes it an excellent therapeutic option for many types of respiratory tract infections. It is hoped that our clinical and laboratory colleagues will be as excited by this data as we are and we look forward to further work with this unique and interesting compound.