The development of bacterial infections is a common complication during treatment with high concentrations of oxygen. To study the effect of hyperoxia on phagocytes, the adherence, chemotaxis, ingestion rates, degranulation as well as the bactericidal activity were measured in alveolar macrophages (AMs) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) obtained from guinea pigs exposed to 85% oxygen. The animal exposure to a Fi O2 of 85% impaired the adherence to nylon-wool, the chemotactic activity and the phagocytic rate of paraffinoil-droplets of AMs and PMNs. In AMs the secretion of beta-glucuronidase upon stimulation with opsonized zymosan was also diminished. In addition, the bacterial activity of AMs and PMNs demonstrated a reduction of 50%. These phagocytic defects may be caused by cytoskeleton alteration, induced by the increase of oxygen derived metabolites, representing an additional sepsis promoting factor during hyperoxia.