Previous data from our laboratory have demonstrated that glucan administration significantly alters the course of a variety of experimentally induced infectious diseases. In view of the increasing incidence of gram-negative infections, studies were initiated to evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal glucan therapy on Escherichia coli-induced peritonitis and sepsis. Male ICR/Tex mice were injected intraperitoneally with glucan or dextrose on days 5 and 3 prior to intraperitoneal challenge with 1.0 x 10(8) E. coli. Glucan administration resulted in a significant enhancement of survival. Evaluation of the mechanism of protective action of glucan revealed that both the glucan and dextrose control groups showed an equivalent level of blood-borne E. coli at early periods. At 6 hours after challenge the glucan group showed a significant decrease in blood-borne E. coli. In contrast, the dextrose control group demonstrated progressive bacteremia. A significant depression of phagocytic activity occurred in E. coli-infected mice as compared with control mice that were not exposed to the bacterial challenge. The enhancement in phagocytic function observed in glucan-treated control mice was unaltered in E. coli challenged, glucan-treated mice. The possible importance of hyperfunctional macrophages in reduction of mortality from E. coli sepsis was denoted by methyl palmitate-induced reversal of the glucan hyperfunctional state. Methyl palmitate-treated glucan injected mice were not protected against E. coli infection. These data denote that the intraperitoneal administration of glucan significantly modifies the course of E. coli-induced peritonitis and bacteremia due, in part, to glucan-induced enhancement of macrophage function.