The intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation is activated when factor XIa, one of the three contact-system enzymes, is generated and then activates factor IX. Factor XI has been shown to be efficiently activated in vitro by surface-bound factor XIIa after factor XI is transported to the surface by its cofactor, high molecular weight kininogen (HK). However, individuals lacking any of the three contact-system proteins--namely, factor XII, prekallikrein, and HK--do not suffer from bleeding abnormalities. This mystery has led several investigators to search for an "alternate" activation pathway for factor XI. Recently, factor XI has been reported to be autoactivated on the soluble "surface" dextran sulfate, and thrombin was shown to accelerate the autoactivation. However, it was also reported that HK, the cofactor for factor XIIa-mediated activation of factor XI, actually diminishes the thrombin-catalyzed activation rate of factor XI. Nonetheless, it was suggested that thrombin was a more efficient activator than factor XIIa. In this report we investigated the effect of fibrinogen, the major coagulation protein in plasma, on the activation rate of factor XI. Fibrinogen, the preferred substrate for thrombin in plasma, virtually prevented autoactivation of factor XI as well as the thrombin-mediated activation of factor XI, while having no effect on factor XIIa-catalyzed activation. HK dramatically curtailed the autoactivation of factor XI in addition to the thrombin-mediated activation. These data indicate that factor XI would not be autoactivated in a plasma environment, and thrombin would, therefore, be unlikely to potentiate the activation. We believe that the "missing pathway" for factor XI activation remains an enigma that warrants further investigation.