Multiple homologies of oligonucleotide size exist between nucleic acids of picornaviruses.

A semi-quantitative analysis of hybrid formation between restriction enzyme-generated subgenomic fragments of cloned cDNA prepared from RNA of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strain O1K and radiolabelled RNA from bovine enterovirus, bovine rhinovirus or Mengo virus indicated that the hybrids were of oligonucleotide size. They were located in those parts of the FMDV O1K genome that code for the two capsid proteins VP3 and VP1 and the precursor protein P52 as well as at the 3' end. No hybridization was observed with poliovirus type 1 RNA.