FOREWORD

During the last 25 years, the Annual Meeting of Basic Research in Chagas Disease, with the addition of leishmaniasis research after a few years of its debute, has consolidated itself as a standard-bearer of quality of scientific meetings in Brazil, and one of the best international meetings on hemoflagellates. A progressive process of merging with the Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society of Protozoology, experienced in the last years, is almost complete in the present meeting. Activities of both meetings are common, and different protozoa are included in round tables by subject.

The meeting retains its basic structure, centered on 20 round tables, and reinforced with 17 conferences, both of excellent quality, covering various aspects of the protozoan field, as well as contributions on vectors. We have added two panels, one on the evaluation of the research achievements in relevant topics in the last 25 years, and another on evaluation on the achievements on the control of Chagas' disease, and perspectives for research support in protozoology. We express our heartfelt thanks to the 38 foreign and 54 Brazilian scientists who accepted to present their data and participate in the program.

A sustained increase in the interest for the meetings is expressed by the continued raise in abstract submission. A total of 623 abstracts have been received for the '98 edition, with expressive numbers of contributions coming from foreign countries, with a special emphasis on our South-American neighbours.

We would like to express our gratitude to all advisors who shared their experience and suggestions in assembling the scientific program. Needless to say that the Ghost Committee provided the usual support and advice. Dr Hooman Momen and the editorial staff of the Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz in the preparation of this special issue. Our recognition goes to Marcos Mota, Elbe Mirtes, Lucivera Imbroinise, Jackson Lemos, Malka Jukiewcz, Maureen Rodarte, Lucia Helena Albuquerque da Costa Roque e Edna Aleixo dos Santos.

Several Brazilian funding agencies continued to provide invaluable support for the meeting, such as CNPq, Fapesp, Fapemig, Fiocruz, Finep, Faperj. Other organizations have started, or re-established, their support, such as Capes, Fundação Nacional de Saúde, Opas, CADCT (Seplantec - Bahia) and Bahiatursa, all of which we would like to acknowledge.

Aldina Barral

Edgar Carvalho

Manoel Barral-Netto

Wanderley De Souza

Meeting Coordinators

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  22 Aug 2000
• Date of issue
  Nov 1998