Parvoviruses are small, nonenveloped icosahedral viruses with a linear single‐stranded‐DNA (ssDNA) genome in the family
Parvoviridae
in the realm
Monodnaviria
. The family
Parvoviridae
is divided into three subfamilies,
Parvovirinae
,
Densovirinae
, and the new
Hamaparvovirinae
, on the basis of their ability to infect vertebrates, invertebrates, or both, respectively, and their NS1 amino acid sequences. The first human parvoviruses identified were the nonpathogenic adeno‐associated viruses of the genus
Dependoparvovirus
, which are increasingly used in gene therapy. Human bocavirus (HBoV1) has the typical structure of a member of the
Parvoviridae
. The most common test for diagnosis of HBoV1 infection is DNA detection by qualitative PCR. Parvoviruses are unable to induce cells to divide, so they require actively dividing cells for their replication.