In the context of FV infection, we can summarize the following points: (1) during the acute phase of infection, FV-infected-erythroblasts expressing PD-L1 induce the exhaustion of CD8+ T cells in the periphery; (2) FV spreads to the thymus and induces the expression of viral antigens on thymic DCs and TECs; (3) the presentation of viral antigens by DCs and TECs in the thymus blocks the production of pathogen-reactive naïve CD8+ T cells as source of functional memory CD8+ T cells. Here, CD8A is linked to infection.