Haemophilus ducreyi, which causes the genital ulcer disease chancroid, had been overlooked as a significant cause of human disease until the 1980's, when chancroid was found to be a major co-factor in the heterosexual transmission of HIV. In 1991, the first in a series of biennial International Symposia on H. ducreyi Pathogenesis and Chancroid was held in conjunction with the International Society for STD research (ISSTDR) International Meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to promote progress in curability to rapidly to understand the biology and epidemiology of this neglected pathogen and to devise strategies to eradicate chancroid. The H. ducreyi symposium is a satellite symposium of the ISSTDR, which meets every two years, alternating between North America and Europe. This specific proposal is to request funds to assist in sponsoring the H. ducreyi symposium, specifically to partially underwrite the expense of travel of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty presenters to the next three iterations of the meeting. The 8th and 9th International Symposia will be held in Amsterdam and Seattle respectively;the venue for the 10th meeting has not been determined. The major objective of the Symposium is to provide a forum for exchange of information on clinical and basic aspects of chancroid research, and to provide the opportunity for students, post-doctoral fellows and new investigators to present their research on this organism. In tying the H. ducreyi symposium to the ISSTDR meeting, we provide participants the ability to interact with clinicians, epidemiologists, public health personnel and basic scientists who work in the broad area of STD research. The meeting also fosters interaction between investigators from the United States with those from developing countries where chancroid is endemic. Our goal is to encourage basic and clinical research in the biology of H. ducreyi and chancroid in the areas of pathogenesis, host responses, vaccine development, HIV and H. ducreyi interactions, epidemiology, and disease eradication. An approval letter from Dr. Melton Hernandez, from the NIAID can be found on page 33 of this application.
