Abstract
1 A.F.R.C. Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright Laboratory, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, Surrey GU24 0NF
2 Department of Microbiology, University of Reading, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ
3 Department of Biology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ
4 Department of Virology, Wellcome Biotechnology Limited, Langley Court, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3BS
and5 National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, U.K.
Enterovirus type 70 (EV70) is the causative agent of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis and may also give rise to a rare neurological complication closely resembling poliomyelitis. The complete nucleotide sequence of the genome of EV70 has been determined from cDNA cloned in Escherichia coli. The genome consists of a 5' non-coding region of 726 nucleotides (nt), a long open reading frame of 6582 nt and a 3' non-coding region of 82 nt prior to the poly(A) tract. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence and the predicted amino acid sequence of the polyprotein with those published for other enteroviruses reveals sufficiently high similarity to predict antigenic regions and polyprotein cleavage sites. The P1 region of EV70 is as similar to those of the entero- as to those of the rhinoviruses, whereas the P2 and P3 regions are more closely related to the coxsackie B and swine vesicular disease viruses than other entero- or rhinoviruses.