Intraperitoneal antiseptics in experimental bacterial peritonitis.

A model of bacterial peritonitis, using mice infected with Escherichia coli, has been used to assess the protective effects of intraperitoneal treatment with antiseptics. Of the five antiseptics tested, only chlorhexidine gluconate had any protective effect, concentrations of 0.05 and 0.02 per cent reducing the mortality to 14 and 50 per cent respectively. The other antiseptics, taurolin, noxytiolin, povidone iodine and hypochlorite were all ineffective. Delayed treatment with chlorhexidine was not as effective as instillation immediately postinfection.