T-cell activation for these two ECs was as low as measured for 23 HIV-uninfected individuals rather than for 18 HIV progressors at 5 years post-infection (CD4: 1.8% vs 1.5% and 6.8%; CD8: 5.4% vs 3.7% and 22.7%, respectively) (Additional file 1: Figure S1). Here, CD8A is linked to infection.