Analysis of Virus-Specific CD4(+) T Cells during Long-Term Gammaherpesvirus Infection

Major histocompatibility complex class II-mediated antigen presentation after intranasal infection with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 differs in mediastinal lymph nodes and spleen. Evidence that virus-specific CD4(+) T cells were being stimulated was found as late as 6 to 8 months after infection, and cells specific for the viral gp150(67–83) and ORF11(168–180) peptides were maintained as a fairly stable proportion of the total response.