Adoptive immunotherapy against experimental visceral leishmaniasis with CD8+ T cells requires the presence of cognate antigen.

CD8+ T cells have a protective role in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. However, the observation that inflammatory cytokines induce bystander activation of CD8+ T cells questions the need for antigen-dependent effector function. Here, we demonstrate that successful adoptive immunotherapy with CD8+ T cells is strictly dependent upon the presence of cognate antigen.