Effects of low-dose γ-irradiation on the counts of immunocompetent cells in a model experiment on primates.

Cellular immunity was studied by flow cytometry with Becton Dickinson monoclonal antibodies in clinically healthy Macaca mulatta males before and after low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation. It was shown that T and B cells are radiosensitive, B cells being more sensitive, which is seen from a significant drop of their count. Natural killers are radioresistant. The count of immunocompetent cells recovers sooner after single compared to fractionated irradiation in the same summary dose.