The results of chromosome aberration test in mammalian cells in culture (Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells) showed no induction of structural and numerical aberrations by YH1226, a cephalosporin antibiotic regardless of metabolic activation, while positive control group (mitomycin C and benzo(a)pyrene) showed structural chromosome aberrations of 25% and 10%, respectively. The in vivo induction of micronuclei was measured in polychromatic erythrocytes in bone marrow of male ddY mouse given YH1226 at 500, 250, 125 mg/kg by i.p. once. After 24 hours, animals were sacrificed and evaluated for the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in whole erythrocytes. Although a positive response for induction of micronuclei in animals treated with mitomycin C demonstrated the sensitivity of the test system for detection of a chemical clastogen, YH1226 did not induce microunclei in bone marrow of ddY male mice.