The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of low-dose Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on pulmonary vascular permeability when administered after hemorrhagic shock (40% of baseline cardiac output) followed by resuscitation. Animals were monitored for 3-4 h after LPS infusion. Thirty minutes prior to termination of the experiment, 3 mCi of 125I-human serum albumin was injected intravenously to calculate a permeability index from the left lung lavage and plasma 125 0.05). Similarly, there was no difference in the wet-to-dry ratios between the three groups. The shock + LPS group required more intravenous fluids to maintain mean arterial blood pressure at control values than the LPS-only group (p < 0.003). We conclude that hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation do not lead to an acute increased permeability of the lung when it is subsequently challenged by a low dose of bacterial