An O-polysaccharide was isolated by mild acid degradation of the lipopolysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris O42 and studied by sugar and methylation analyses along with 1H, 13C and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The following structure of the polysaccharide having a linear pentasaccharide phosphate repeating unit was established: -->3)-alpha-L-FucpNAc4Ac-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Glcp-1-P-(O-->4)-alpha-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->3)-alpha-L-FucpNAc4Ac-(1-->3))-alpha-D-GlcpNAc6Ac-(1--> where the degree of O-acetylation is approximately 80% on GlcNAc and approximately 40% on each of the FucNAc residues. A weak serological cross-reaction of anti-P. vulgaris O42 serum with the lipopolysaccharide of P. vulgaris O39 was observed and accounted for by the sharing of a disaccharide fragment of the O-polysaccharides.