Picornavirus genomes typically consist of a 7.2 to 7.5 kb positive-sense, single-stranded RNA molecule located within a non-enveloped icosahedral capsid. The genomes contain a single open reading frame flanked by 59and 39untranslated regions (UTR). The polyprotein is first cleaved into three precursor polyproteins, P1, P2 and P3 ( Figure 1 ). P1 is further cleaved into the structural proteins VP4, VP2, VP3 and VP1. Union of a single copy of each structural protein constitutes a viral protomer; the HRV capsid consists of 60 protomers arranged in a T = 1, pseudo T = 3 (i.e. T = p3) conformation. P2 and P3 are cleaved into seven non-structural proteins including two proteases (2A pro and 3C pro ) and an RNA-dependant RNA polymerase (3D pol ) [24] .