Heliene Silva Pereira

Dr. Heliene Silva Pereira

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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21 May 2026 in Viruses
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Gabriel Oliveira Santos FrancoGabriel Oliveira Santos Franco
Gabriel Oliveira Santos Franco
ASAndreas Stocker
Andreas Stocker
ENEduardo Martins Netto
Eduardo Martins Netto
HPHeliene Silva Pereira
Heliene Silva Pereira
Carlos BritesCarlos Brites
Carlos Brites
The proviral load of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an important biomarker associated with the monitoring and risk stratification of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). However, the lack of standardized quantification methods limits its broader application. This study evaluated a novel absolute quantification approach based on whole blood volume and compared its performance with established protocols. A total of 66 HTLV-1-infected individuals were analyzed using six qPCR-based methodologies, including volumetric quantification (copies/µL) by absolute quantification and the Tamegão-Lopes method, as well as normalization per 1000 cells (whole blood, buffy coat, PBMCs, and CD4+ T cells). Association and agreement were assessed using Pearson’s correlation, Bland–Altman analysis, concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs), and Deming regression. Absolute quantification showed strong correlation with both the Tamegão-Lopes method and CD4+-based quantification (r = 0.93 and 0.84, respectively; p < 0.001) and high agreement (CCC = 0.866 and 0.811, respectively), with modest systematic bias (−0.273 log10 copies/µL and 0.115 log10 copies/103 cells, respectively). Leukocyte-normalized methods showed greater discrepancies, likely due to dilution by uninfected cells. These findings show that quantification based on total blood volume is a simplified, operationally feasible alternative for assessing HTLV-1 proviral load.