In healthy elderly populations a low CD4:CD8 ratio and a high CMV‐specific T cell response both predict for poor survival 36 and it has previously been suggested that CMV seropositivity may impact on poorer survival in B‐CLL, albeit using a small sample size (n = 57) and based on univariate analysis only 16. This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.