Bone marrow chimeras were used to determine the cellular target(s) for the antiviral activity of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma). By transfusing such mice with high numbers of naive virus-specific CD8(+) T cells, a system was created in which the majority of virus-specific CD8(+) T cells would be capable of responding to IFN-gamma, but expression of the relevant receptor on non-T cells could be experimentally controlled. Only when the IFN-gamma receptor is absent on both radioresistant parenchymal and bone marrow-derived cells will chimeric mice challenged with a highly invasive, noncytolytic virus completely lack the ability to control the infection and develop severe wasting disease. Further, the study shows that IFN-gamma receptor expression on parenchymal cells in the viscera is more important for virus control than IFN-gamma receptor expression on bone marrow-derived cells.