Bacteroides is a predominant anaerobic bacteria of the human colon. Since the ten species of the Bacteroides fragilis group are responsible for most anaerobic endogenous infections, the antimicrobial resistance of these bacteria is of great concern due to the role they can play in the dissemination of resistance. Eighty non-diarrheic human feces samples were analyzed. Each sample was inoculated in BBE (Bacteroides Bile Esculin) and KVLB (Kanamycin, Vancomycin, Laked Blood) agar plates and were incubated in anaerobic conditions for 48 h at 35 degrees C. For identification and antimicrobial sensitivity, miniaturized systems for anaerobic bacteria (Rapid ID-32A and ATB ANA, Biomerieux) were used. Sixty-four (80%) of the samples were positive for at least one Bacteroides fragilis species; B. uniformis and B. fragilis were the most frequent species (24.6% and 16.9%); B. stercoris and B. eggerthii were the least frequent (0.7 and 2.1%). The strains showed resistance to different penicillins (40.2-93.1%), some even in the presence of beta-lactamase inhibitors, to cephalosporins (31.0-52.1%) and to frequently used antibiotics against anaerobes, such as clindamycin (32.2%) and imipenem (10.3%). The most effective antimicrobials against Bacteroides fragilis were piperacillin and ticarcillin combined with beta-lactamase inhibitors, as well as chloramphenicol and metronidazole (>90% susceptibility). None of the B. fragilis group were resistant to clindamycin or metronidazole, but one-third of the imipenem-resistant strains belonged to this species. The most resistant species was B. distasonis, while B. vulgatus was the most susceptible. None of the tested antimicrobials were effective against all ten species; the majority of the species had some isolates that were resistant to imipenem, metronidazole or clindamycin. This resistance pattern suggests the presence of efficient transmission mechanisms among these endogenous bacteria.