SUMMLARYThe bactericidal activity of RBA 777 has been found to vary with both the cultural and environmental test conditions against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and to a lesser extent against Staphylococcus aureus. These variations may explain certain anomalies in earlier work regarding the activity of chloroxylenol-based products. The addition of EDTA to RBA 777 has brought about an improvement in the performance against P. aeruginosa and this activity is confirmed in vivo. Previous reports have already illustrated this potential and the evaluations of the new antibacterial agent DA 136 confirms and extends these results to its performance under adverse conditions, often associated with the hospital environment.