Activities of taurolidine in vitro and in experimental enterococcal endocarditis.

In vitro, the antimicrobial agent taurolidine inhibited virtually all of the bacteria tested, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci, oxacillin-resistant staphylococci, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, at concentrations between 250 and 2,000 microg/ml. Taurolidine was not effective in experimental endocarditis. While it appears unlikely that this antimicrobial would be useful for systemic therapy, its bactericidal activity and the resistance rates found (<10(-9)) are favorable indicators for its possible development for topical use.