[Clinical and experimental parallels between immunological observations of irradiated animals and patients injured...

Immunological parameters in different periods of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) of experimental animals and Chernobyl reactor accident-injured patients have been studied. 148 patients and experimental animals (123 dogs and 198 monkeys) were observed after radiation exposure of different levels (from a sub-lethal dose to the minimal absolute lethal dose). We have found the increase in the C-reactive protein, fluctuation of normal antibody titers and the complement in blood serum, as well as the growing number of skin microbes after exposures to lethal doses. Experimental results match clinical data in terms of ARS progress phases but differ from the latter in terms of the time of clinical manifestations. The highest rate of clinical manifestations is observed on the 7-14 days for experimental animals (rats, dogs and monkeys) and on the 20-30 days for patients after radiation exposure. Regenerative processes in animals run faster than those in humans.