We infected umbilical cord blood lymphocytes (CBL) with EBV in vitro. Analysis of the cell population in 3- and 6-day-old cultures showed a relative increase of B cells and outgrowth of B cells after prolonged culture period. The immunomodulator PSK was added to parallel cultures. In these cultures, B cell growth was inhibited and the activation of T and NK cells was potentiated. This was detected by assessment of SH2D1A (also named SAP or DSHP) expression (a molecule which participates in signal transduction and is mutated in X-linked lymphoproliferative disease, XLP). Upon further cultivation, irradiated autologous EBV infected B cells and IL-2 were added to the cultures. After 17 days, the B lymphocytes were removed from the PSK containing cultures. The remaining populations, containing mainly T and NK cells, exerted cytotoxic function which could act on EBV infected autologous B cells, allogeneic LCL and on K562. Since cellular immunity to EBV is not transmitted to the newborn, EBV specific memory is not involved in the activation of effector cells. Our finding of an in vitro response of T and NK cells to EBV infected B lymphocytes in the absence of EBV specific immunological memory is of particular interest, because it may also operate in vivo and participate in the scenario of primary infection. Its potentiation by immunomodulators may have practical significance.