Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVDV-2) strains, isolated from sheep showing clinical symptoms of border disease, have been evaluated by the palindromic nucleotide substitution (PNS) method at the three variable loci (V1, V2 and V3) in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of genomic RNA. The characteristic two base-pairings common to the BVDV-2 species, a C-G pairing which was common to the V1 locus, and a G*U pairing common to the V2 locus, were observed in all tested strains. Strains BD-78 and C413 were identified by a unique C-G pairing at position 4 from the bottom of the V2 stem region, which is characteristic to BVDV-2b. BVDV-2d characteristic U-A pairing at position 18 of the V1 stem region was observed in five strains, Lees, 167 237, 168 149, 173 157 and 175 375. No strains have been assigned to the genotypes BVDV-2a or BVDV-2c. Furthermore, the investigation at the level of the 5'-UTR excluded the application in sheep of the proposed BVDV-2 genetic virulence markers described in cattle. The two specific positions of uracil and cytosine nucleotides related to low or high virulence where indifferently present in the ovine BVDV-2 strains responsible of border disease.