The cross-reactivity of imipenem (IPM) in a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction was investigated by intradermal skin reaction, macrophage migration inhibition tests (MIT) and lymphocyte stimulation tests (LST) in guinea pigs. The animals were immunized with IPM, ampicillin (ABPC) or cephalexin (CEX) using Freund's complete adjuvant. Three sensitized-drugs exhibited the same immunogenicity in the skin reaction. The cross-reactivities in skin reaction among IPM, sulbactam, aztreonam, ABPC and 6-aminopenicillanic acid as penam, and CEX, ceftizoxime, 7-aminocephalosporanic acid as cephem were examined. IPM did not show cross-reactions with any of the tested drugs in three sensitized groups, indicating that the drugs possessed no cross-reactivity with tested beta-lactams in DTH. In MIT, 4 or 5 of 6 animals reacted to be sensitized drugs in each group. The cross-reactivity of IPM- and ABPC-sensitized groups in MIT was similar to that of a skin reaction, however, the CEX-sensitized animals showed broad cross-reactions. Using a kind of test drug, one or two animals in the ABPC-sensitized group showed migration enhancement, but IPM- or CEX-sensitized animals did not exhibit migration enhancement. In LST, most of the animals tested exhibited lymphocyte prolifration by sensitized drugs but a cross-reaction was scarcely observed. The above results suggest that among beta-lactams, IPM has a very low cross-reactivity. LST is considered to be more a useful assay than MIT for in vitro identification of causative drugs in animal models.