Immunological control of a murine gammaherpesvirus independent of CD8+ T cells.

Adult thymectomized C57 BL/6J mice were depleted of T cell subsets by MAb treatment either prior to, or after, respiratory challenge with murine gammaherpesvirus-68. Protection against acute infection was maintained when either the CD4+ or the CD8+ T cell population was greatly diminished, whereas the concurrent removal of both T cell subsets proved invariably fatal. The same depletions had little effect on mice with established infection. The results indicate firstly that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells play a significant part in dealing with the acute infection, and secondly that virus-specific antibody contributes to controlling persistent infection with this gammaherpesvirus.