X-ray-enhanced reactivation of ultraviolet-irradiated human virus.

When CV-1 mammalian cells were X-irradiated before infection with ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated herpes simplex virus, an increase in survival of this virus was observed. X-ray reactivation is proposed as the name of this phenomenon by analogy with UV reactivation. The amount of survival enhancement was about the same as that found for UV reactivation in the same virus-host system. The enhancement reached a plateau at approximately 1000 rads and appeared to be radiation-insensitive at high doses.