Absence of a functional defect in CD8+ T cells during primary murine gammaherpesvirus-68 infection of I-A(b-/-) mice.

The murine gammaherpesvirus-68 kills I-A(b-/-) mice despite the presence of virus-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). This has raised the possibility that these CTL are functionally abnormal. Here, no difference was observed between I-A(b-/-) mice and I-A(b+/+) controls in virus-specific CTL function, T cell receptor usage, or surface phenotype. Thus CTL immunity was independent of CD4+ T cells in a chronic herpesvirus infection, but was still inadequate to control virus replication.