**Preface**

This Special Issue entitled 'Advances in Parvovirus Research 2022' continues the series dedicated to research on viruses belonging to the *Parvoviridae* family following the successful Special Issues "New Insights into Parvovirus Research" and "Advances in Parvovirus Research 2020". As for the previous Special Issues, the aim was to offer a dedicated opportunity to bring together the latest contributions in the field of parvovirus research, providing advanced knowledge and new insights and addressing research on unresolved topics. Furthermore, this Special Issue was associated with the XVIII International Parvovirus Workshop, which took place in Rimini, Italy, from the 14th to the 17th of June 2022. The international workshops dedicated to parvoviruses started in 1985 and are continuously held every two years and are events strictly centered on all aspects of parvovirus research, providing excellent opportunities to focus on research topics in this area. The 2022 event continued the series, filling the gap in the original schedule in 2020 when the workshop had to be postponed due to the then-peaking COVID-19 pandemic, and fostering renewed research in the field. A conference report opens this collection, as a union thread gathering the scientific community involved in research on parvoviruses.

Evolution and phylogenetics have been the subject of many contributions to this Special Issue. Bravo et al. report on ancestral endogenous parvoviral elements in rodents and their possible adaptive role in conferring antiviral protection to hosts. Beloukhova et al. propose a genotype-based AAV classification as an alternative to the common serotype-based classification scheme. Leopardi et al and Franzo et al. provide information on the evolution and spatial and temporal distribution of CPV and PPV. Franzo et al. further report on the utility of the phylogenetic analysis of CPV to track the alien introduction of animals in a definite geographic scenario. Bichicchi et al. analyze sequence heterogeneity in B19V clinical isolates by means of NGS techniques and also provide innovative bioinformatic tools and an analytical frame for the interpretation of such diversity.

The portfolio of atomic-scale structural models in the family is now further expanded due to the contributions of Lakshmanan et al and Velez et al., now including viruses as diverse as AMDV, Human parvovirus 4, and members of the *Bocaparvovirus* genus. Virus-receptor interactions are the subject of contributions by Bircher et al., for members of the genus *Erythroparvovirus*, and Ferreira et al, for the oncolytic H-1 virus. Concerning replication and genetics, Reggiani et al. describe a functional replicating minigenome of B19V, Hauswirth et al. describe mutants of the NS1 protein of the H-1 virus, and Larsen et al. report on the characterization of interactions of MVM and cellular DNA damage repair pathways.

Finally, regarding translational issues, Gao et al. describe the generation of PPV viral-like particles and their application in serological assays; Alves et al. report on the evaluation of molecular test for the discrimination of DNA from infectious parvovirus B19 particles from clinical samples; Mendes-de-Almeida et al. describe the clinical presentation of B19V infection in cases of HIV-infected patients; and Kaiser et al. describe the first instances of the identification of Skunk *Amdoparvovirus* in Europe.

In the years these papers were submitted, the most critical phases of the COVID-19 pandemic were over, but the antecedent impact has been profound and critical, diverting substantial energies and resources. However, the pandemic also brought into focus not only the 'One Health' concept but also the key role viruses can play in it. In this regard, the wide diversity of viruses in the Parvoviridae family and their evolutionary potential is a topic of sure relevance and interest, adding to the well-established relevance in clinical and translational research.

**Giorgio Gallinella**

*Editor*
