We recently reported that an equivalent abnormal expression of activation (HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4+ T cells) and terminal differentiation (CD127 on CD8+ T cells) markers were present on T cells from HIV-1-infected patients who initiated ART either during the primary or chronic phase of infection (38); the size of total HIV-1 DNA copies in blood of patients who initiated ART during primary infection was, however, lower compared with patients who initiated ART during chronic infection. Here, CD8A is linked to infection.