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Mice susceptible and resistant to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) were infected with this virus and livers were harvested after 2-231 days. Cryostat sections were stained to visualize cells bearing CD4, CDS or Mac-1 antigens. Mac-1+ cells were prevalent in inflammatory foci after 2 days. These cells persisted in susceptible BALB/c and A/J mice, but disappeared from livers of resistant C57B1/ 6 and CBA/CaH mice by day 28. T cell inflammation peaked on days 7-11. This declined by day 56 in C57B1/6 and CBA/CaH mice, but persisted in BALB/e and A/J mice for at least 231 days. Persistent CD8+ cells were dispersed throughout the parenchyma. More CD8+ cells were observed 7-14 days after infection in the livers of bg/bg (natural killer (NK) cell-deficient) C57B1/6 and CBA mice, and in C57B1/6 mice depleted of NK 1.1 cells by MoAb. Thus, mice of strains susceptible to MCMV exhibit hepatitis characterized by persistence of dispersed CD8+ cells. This phenomenon may be limited by NK cells in resistant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]