Purification and chemical characterization of an immunosuppressive exopolysaccharide fromCapnocytophaga ochraceastrain 25 are described. This polysaccharide was extracted from spent culture medium by cold ethanol precipitation. Purification was accomplished by trichloroacetic acid and pronase treatments in combination with diethylaminoethyl-Sepharose and concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography. Purity of the exopolysaccharide was ascertained by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using periodic acid – Schiff staining. The exopolysaccharide was free of protein, nucleic acid, and lipopolysaccharide, but contained large amounts of mannose with lesser quantities of glucose, galactose, glucuronic acid, and glucosamine.