Acute virus infections in normal hosts are typically controlled by the development of a host immune response that includes MHC‐restricted virus‐specific T cells. Many viruses have developed methods to evade T cell recognition to facilitate initial infection and the establishment of a persistent infection in the host. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) are ubiquitous human pathogens that utilise novel strategies to evade immune elimination. Despite these evasion methods, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells expressing αβ T cell receptors have been shown to play a pivotal role in controlling initial infection and in maintaining CMV and EBV in a latent state. However, in settings of iatrogenic or acquired T cell deficiency, primary infection or reactivation of CMV and EBV frequently progresses to cause life threatening disease. In this article the role of MHC‐restricted CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cell responses in controlling CMV and EBV infections in healthy individuals and the development of novel strategies to restore protective T cell immunity to deficient hosts by the adoptive transfer of virus‐specific T cells is reviewed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.