Generation of a parvovirus B19 vaccine candidate.

•New MF59-adjuvanted parvovirus B19 vaccine candidate raises anti-viral antibodies in mice.•Mouse Ab titers are similar to those in human convalescent serum where primary infection gives lifelong protection.•Yeast-expressed B19 VP1/VP2 VLPs are pure and homogeneous with a fixed protein ratio.•VLPs lack enzymatic activity that may have caused reactogenicity in previous trials.•This new parvovirus B19 vaccine candidate shows sufficient promise to test in humans.