Comparisons were made of growth inhibition of two saprophytic (Trichoderma viride, Trichocladium asperum) and two plant parasitic soil fungi (Ophiobolus graminis, Fomes annosus) by antibiotics. The fungi were grown on an agar medium containing various concentrations of one of the antibiotics: acti-dione, gliotoxin, griseofulvin, patulin, or trichothecin. In general the two parasites tended to be more sensitive than the saprophytes, but there were several individual exceptions. Moreover, the comparative responses of the fungi at different antibiotic concentrations were frequently not proportionately related. The results are discussed in relation to the possible effects of antibiotics on fungi in natural soil.