Tropism and molecular biology of parvoviruses

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My team has focussed its research on how viruses are able to switch hosts (e.g., from one animal species to another or to humans). In recent years, this topic has become a centre of interest with the appearance of the SARS and avian flu viruses. We work, however, with parvoviruses which have shown in the recent past to jump regularly the species barrier (e.g., sudden appearance in mink during the 1940s and in dogs during the 1970s, probably from a cat virus). These species barrier breaches were the cause of important pandemics. We are particularly interested in pig parvoviruses since pig products and organs are or may be used in medical treatments. Introducing pig parvovirus in immunosuppressed humans would give the virus an ideal environment to jump hosts and adapt itself. We have already shown that minute differences exist among different parvovirus strains resulting in differences in preferences of host cells and making them behave as a vaccine or a pathogenic strain. However, we do not know the mechanism by which these tiny chemical differences can provoke adaptation to new host cells. For this purpose, we have determined the 3D structure of the virus to a near-atomic level and we are studying the effect that these minute structural differences have on the molecular biology of these viruses. We hope that its understanding will help us to be better prepared if such a host switch, and ensuing pandemic, occurs and we are in the development stage of effective antiviral drugs.