After adjusting for age, gender, mode of HIV transmission, nationality, previous AIDS event, years of HIV infection, HCV co-infection, HIV RNA and CD4 at cART initiation, CD4 and CD8 count at switch, reason for switch, and months of viral suppression before switch, patients on dual therapy showed a gain in log10 ratio at 12 months and at 24 months lower than that seen in patients on the triple regimen. Here, CD8A is linked to HIV infectious disease.