A modification of the method for monocyte isolation reported by Recalde (1984. J. Immunol. Methods. 69: 71-77) is described. Application of the modified method to 36 consecutive healthy adult donors gave a monocyte purity of 73 +/- 8% monocytes with less than 1% polymorphonuclear leukocytes and a yield of 3.44 +/- 0.93 x 10(5) monocytes/ml blood. While the monocyte purity of the modified Recalde method was lower than that obtained by elutriation (method BB in Fogelman et al. 1981. J. Lipid Res. 22: 1131-1141) in 15 donors (71 +/- 10% vs. 83 +/- 6%) the monocyte yield and the viability of the cells before and after culture were similar in both methods. The modified Recalde method does not require the expensive or complicated equipment required for elutriation and permits the isolation of human monocytes for culture in autologous serum from multiple donors in a single day.