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. 1994 Mar;102(3):298–301. doi: 10.1289/ehp.94102298

UV-B exposure impairs resistance to infection by Trichinella spiralis.

W Goettsch 1, J Garssen 1, A Deijns 1, F R de Gruijl 1, H van Loveren 1
PMCID: PMC1567116  PMID: 8033870

Abstract

To assess the possibility that increases in UV-B exposure on the earth's surface could lead to impaired resistance to several infectious diseases, we studied the effect of UV-B exposure on resistance against Trichinella spiralis. Wistar rats, orally infected with T. spiralis larvae, were exposed to suberythemal doses of UV-B radiation daily for 5 days at different time periods before or after infection. A significant increase in the number of Trichinella larvae was found in the carcasses of rats irradiated with UV-B between 6 and 10 days after infection. These data indicate that exposure to UV-B radiation suppresses the resistance to a parasitic infection. We suggested that UV-B radiation especially suppresses cellular immune responses against these worms because specific IgM, IgG, and IgE titers were not significantly altered by UV-B exposure. These data indicate that UV-B irradiation plays a role in the course of infection with T. spiralis, which suggests that increases of UV-B exposure might also lead to problems with other infectious diseases and might affect vaccination because of the interaction of UV-B irradiation with memory T-cells.

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