Glucans and dextrans in rats and man.

Intracutaneous injections of three glucan contaminants of invert sugar solutions and crude cane sugar into human skin produced localised wheals and erythema reactions. These glucans of molecular weight between 12,000 and 1,400,000 were also active on intradermal injection into both dextran-sensitive and dextran-resistant rats, and, like dextrans, were active on subcutaneous injection into dextran-sensitive animals.