However, the capacity of EBV-specific CD8+ T cells to secrete IFN-γ seemed reduced in SLE patients compared to healthy controls.[20] Altogether, whether the defective control of latent EBV infection in SLE patients is related to a CD8+ T cell defect remains controversial.[11], [12], [13] Furthermore, it is unclear whether the defect is EBV-specific or global. Here, CD8A is linked to Epstein-Barr virus infection.