CD8A and HIV infectious disease: The fact that i) the decline in viral load in acute infection coincides with the peak in HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell numbers [1], [2], ii) depletion of CD8+ T cells in macaques results in higher viral load [3]–[5], and iii) escape mutations have frequently been observed in CTL epitopes [6]–[9], points to a role for these cells in the control of HIV infection.