CD8A and inflammatory response: In chronic HBV infection HBV-specific CD8 T cells appear to be functionally heterogeneous.2 12 13 16 29 To elucidate further the phenotypic and functional features of this CD8 T cell heterogeneity and to identify CD8 T cell-based predictors of response to immune reconstitution therapies we first selected a homogeneous chronic active hepatitis patient population with persistent viraemia and liver inflammation, eligible for therapy and expected to harbour terminally exhausted HBV-specific CD8 T cells.