Despite the role of NK cells and CD8+ αβ T cells in the early and the late phase of controlling viral infections (respectively), some studies have addressed the imperative role of T lymphocytes expressing the γδ T cell receptor in reducing viral loads by direct lysis of virus-infected cells and by non-cytolytic mechanisms, particularly γδ T cell-induced bystander activation of other immune cells, as summarized in Table 1. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and viral infectious disease.