Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection causes fifth disease, a disease characterized by rashes to the face and other parts of the body that primarily affects children. However, adults can also develop fifth disease and it can lead to more severe conditions. Patients that are immunocompromised, such as those who are HIV infected, organ transplant recipients, and cancer patients, can be particularly susceptible to more severe outcomes from B19V infection. Infection can also cause anemia and in pregnant women, it can lead to hydrops fetalis.

The subject technologies are expression vectors for the production of B19V VP1 and VP2 capsid proteins. Co-expression of the two proteins produce empty virus-like particles (VLPs) that can be used to develop a vaccine against parvovirus B19 and a packaging system for infectious B19V virus. Different expression vectors have been developed and optimized for expression in insects cells and more recently in mammalian cell lines such as 293, Cos7, Hela cells and 293T cells.