Cotton fabrics having antimicrobial activity were prepared by two-bath batch process treated successively with zirconyl chloride buffer solution of pH 7 and a solution of the antimic-robial agent, tetracycline hydrochloride or kanamycin sulfate. The reactivity of kanamycin with cotton fabrics containing zirconium is higher than that of tetracycline. And in both cases of tetracycline and kanamycin, the antimicrobial activity of fabrics follows the controlled-release mechanism against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antimicrobial activity imparted by kanamycin was initially extremely high but was less durable to laundering than tetracycline.