Porcine parvovirus is a member of the parvovirus family Parvovirus. The virus has a strong resistance to heat. There is no significant change in the infectivity and hemagglutination of the virus for 48 hours at 56 ° C or 2 hours at 70 ° C, but both infectivity and hemagglutination activity are lost for 5 minutes at 80 ° C. Domestic and wild boars of all ages and sexes are susceptible.

This disease only affects pigs and is endemic. It occurs mostly during the farrowing season and there are more abortions and stillbirths in sows with first-born pregnants. Once the disease occurs on the farm, it can persist for many years. Infected sows, breeding boars, and contaminated semen are the main sources of infection. The disease can be transmitted vertically through the placenta and mate. Breeding boars, fattening pigs, and sows are mainly infected through the respiratory and digestive tracts through contaminated food and the environment. The occurrence of this disease is closely related to the season, and most often occur in April to October or a period of time after sow farrowing and mating. Sow infection during early pregnancy has an embryo mortality rate of 80% to 100%.