We characterized the phenotype and function of CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells from acute/primary into chronic CMV infection in 23 (donor+/recipient-; D+R-) lung transplant recipients and found rapid induction of both KLRG1<sup>+</sup> and/or CD57<sup>+</sup> CMV-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells with unexpected coexpression of CD27.
We evaluated 3 assays unaffected by passive antibodies, in assignment of CMV infection status in children awaiting solid organ transplant and in controls: (1) CMV nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), (2) quantification of CMV-specific CD4+ T cells, and (3) quantification of CD27-CD28-CD4+ T cells.