The nucleic acid of chicken parvovirus-like particles showed sensitivity to DNase and S1 nuclease treatment and resistance to digestion with RNase. Viral DNA readily served as a template for self-primed conversion in vitro into a double-stranded form of about 5200 base pairs. There was no evidence for encapsidation of strands of opposite polarities. These findings confirm the taxonomic classification of chicken parvovirus-like particles as fowl parvovirus type 1 within the Parvovirus genus of the Parvoviridae.