CD8+ T cell immunity to Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus

Gammaherpesviruses are agents which have evolved to persist within the lymphoid system and many have oncogenic potential; studying gammaherpesvirus infections therefore has the potential to reveal much about the workings of the immune system and the control over viral oncogenesis. The lymphocryptovirus Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and the rhadinovirus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8) are the two human gammaherpesviruses. Analysis of the T cell response to EBV has guided understanding of immunity to infection and disease caused by this virus, as well as directed the development of vaccination and therapeutic interventions in EBV-associated disease. Less is known about the T cell response to KSHV and its exact role in controlling virus infection and disease. Here we discuss the CD8+ T cell response to these two gammaherpesviruses.