&NA;Because of the problem of pneumococcal resistance to &bgr;‐lactam and macrolide antibiotics, much more frequent in Spain than in other parts of the world, during the last decade, there has been a need to develop specific guidelines for the management of community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP). Owing to the characteristics of high‐level macrolide resistance, these antibiotics are not a valid treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia in Spain, and, therefore, they cannot be recommended as a first‐line empiric treatment for all episodes of nonsevere CAP. In contrast, penicillin and aminopenicillins still appear to be useful alternatives in the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia, provided that they are adequately dosed. In 1996, the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR) developed a newGuidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Community‐Acquired Pneumonia,including a specific diagnostic and therapeutic approach for five different categories of CAP on the basis of three main characteristics: the clinical presentation, the relative risk for presenting uncommon pathogens, and the severity of the episode. The basic recommendation for the empiric treatment of nonsevere CAP in Spain was the prescription of an aminopenicillin (amoxicillin) or a macrolide according to the clinical presentation. The prescribed antibiotic had to be replaced by the alternative option if there was no improvement after 48 hours. Since the introduction of the new quinolones, the empiric antibiotic prescription for CAP in Spain has become much simpler, according to the recent consensus guidelines on the management of CAP issued by the SEPAR and the Spanish Society of Chemotherapy (SEQ).Clin Pulm Med 2000;7(1):1‐8