LAUSR

Parvoviruses are small ssDNA viruses with a non-enveloped capsid. Members of the family Parvoviridae are divided into the subfamilies Densovirinae, infecting invertebrates, and Parvovirinae that utilize vertebrates as hosts. In 1974 Parvovirus B19 was discovered and was the only parvovirus known to be pathogenic in humans for more than three decades. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have led to the discovery of several new parvoviruses capable of infecting humans, including human bocaparvoviruses 1 to 4 (HBoV1-HBoV4), bufaviruses 1 to 3 (BuV1-BuV3), cutavirus (CuV), tusavirus (TuV), and human parvovirus 4 (PARV4). These viruses were found in different tissues, including the gastro-intestinal tract, the respiratory tract, erythroid progenitor cells, and cutaneous malignant melanoma lesions. The viral capsid plays a central role in the infection of these cells since it mediates the attachment of the virus to specific receptors on the target cells. After cell entry the capsid remains intact while it travels through the endo/lysosomal pathway to the nucleus where the viral genome is released. At the end of the replication cycle newly generated capsids package newly replicated genomes and protect these for another round of replication.