Infection of H-2-identical mice with either lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus, vaccinia virus, or paramyxo (Sendai) virus resulted in the generation of specifically sensitized cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). CTL generated in vitro against 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl (TNP)-conjugated syngeneic stimulator cells were specifically cytotoxic for TNP-conjugated H-2K(D) region identical targets. Both LCM and vaccinia-induced CTL, however, were found to be strongly cytotoxic towards TNP-conjugated, H-2K(D) region-identical target cells. In contrast, Sendai virus-induced CTL did not lyse TNP-conjugated, syngeneic target cells. Inhibition experiments using cold targets suggested that shared antigenic determinants can be detected on either LCM virus-infected and TNP-conjugated targets, which are not present on the cell surface 6f normal target cells.