Endotoxaemia elicits a massive inflammatory insult affecting the β2 integrin CD18. Being an adhesion molecule, CD18 is pivotal in inflammation and, moreover, exiting data suggest that CD18 is a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor. Early LPS‐induced inflammation is regulated by the signal regulatory protein (SIRPα), which is identical to the porcine panmyelocytic marker swine CD workshop 3 (SWC3), and LPS‐induced downregulation of SIRPα has been described in vitro. The dynamic SIRPα/SWC3 and CD18 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in vivo during LPS‐induced inflammation is the focus of this study. Pigs were randomized into LPS (n = 12) or control (n = 6) groups. At start 0 min, LPS infusion was stepwise (2.5–15 μg/kg/h, 30 min) followed by maintenance infusion (2.5 μg/kg/h, 330 min). PBMC were isolated at 0, 60, 240 and 360 min, and two‐colour flow cytometry was performed using monoclonal antibodies identifying SWC3 and CD18. Viability was tested using 7‐amino‐actinomycin D. LPS dramatically changed the relative distribution of circulating myeloid cells. At 60 min monocytes disappeared. This was followed by reappearance of a distinct population with low CD18 and SIRPα/SWC3 expression. Cell sorting showed that the appearing population comprised band neutrophils and apoptotic/dead cells. The remaining monocytes expressed less CD18 at 360 min than the controls (P = 0.03). The appearance of a distinct cell population comprising apoptotic cells and band neutrophils consistent with LPS‐induced apoptosis, and decreased CD18 expression on monocytes suggests that early CD18 downregulation is profitable for the host in a situation with an intense LPS stimulus.