Introduction

Abstract

Parvoviruses belong to the large group of viral agents of which virologists have become aware by chance in many biological materials due to the availability of more sensitive isolation techniques and the extensive use of the electron microscope. In general, many of these viruses lacked the stimulating background of an infectious disease and, therefore, have fallen into oblivion already soon after discovery. In case of parvoviruses, however, interest has been maintained because of the circumstances under which most of them were isolated.