However, in the case of HCMV infection in humans, we found that IL-7Rneg short-term effectors persist for a long time after primary infection, especially in the CD8+ compartment: one year after infection the majority (ca. 80%) of CD8+ and a proportion of CD4+ HCMV-specific T cells do not express IL-7R. The gene discussed is CD4; the disease is cytomegalovirus infection.