A previous multicentre study that enrolled 17 children and adolescents with perinatal HIV-1 infection from 2013 to 2015 demonstrated the efficacy of off-label use of rilpivirine in combination with emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil, as children showed good control of the infection, improved CD4+ T lymphocytes count and CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes ratio [14]. Here, CD8A is linked to HIV-1 infection.