This is an application for support for an International meeting on Parvovirus. Almost all US citizens have been infected by the tide of adulthood by two types of parvoviruses; one that can replicate autonomously in cell culture and a second type that requires coinfection with a helper adeno- or herpesvirus to undergo a productive infection. The former type is a significant pathogen responsible for aplastic crisis in people with hemolytic anemia, erythema infectiosum, some forms of arthritis, and second trimester abortions. The latter type has not been implicated as the cause of any disease but causes latent infections, possibly in a high percentage of people. Infection with the dependoviruses has been inversely correlated with carcinoma of the cervix. Both types are antioncogenic in model systems, so there is the rather novel possibility of a naturally beneficial human virus. The dependoviruses integrate into the human genome at a specific site on chromosome l9(9). The ability to integrate stably has engendered significant interest in the use of these viruses for gene therapy. Our intention is to have an international meeting to discuss all of these issues. We anticipate attendance of 125-150 with representation from almost all of the laboratories active in the field which are located in the US and Canada, Europe and Asia.
