Immune response of mice to 2450-MHz microwave radiation: Overview of immunology and empirical studies of lymphoid splenic cells

Male CBA/J mice were exposed to 2450-MHz microwave radiation (each exposure: 30 minutes at an averaged dose rate near 14 mW/g). The mice were tested later to determine effects of the radiation on (1) the relative frequency of T and B cells; (2) the functional capacity of spleen cells from irradiated mice to respond to T- and B-cell-specific membrane stimuli; and (3) the ability to respond to sheep red blood cells and dinitrophenyl-lyslyl-Ficoll. Results demonstrated that microwave radiation has weak stimulatory effects on B- but not T-lymphoid cells in the spleen. Single exposures to radiation produced an increase in the incidence of cells with complement receptor on the cell's surface. Three exposures to radiation induced increases in the total number of splenic cells, in the incidence of immunoglobin-positive cells, and in the incidence of complement receptor-positive cells. The total number of T cells was unaffected by single or triple exposures of mice to the radiation.