This study describes the evaluation of a murine bacteraemia model for assessing antibiotic efficacy in normal and neutropenic mice infected with coagulase-negative staphylococci. In one such evaluation, it was found that there was no significant (P > 0·5 ) difference in the ability of teicoplanin or vancomycin to protect normal or neutropcnic CD-1 mia, lethally-infected with Staphylococcus haemolyticus. However, about a four-fold incraese of either antibiotic was needed to protect the immunocompromised animals.