1. Introduction
Influenza A viruses (IAV), an orthomyxovirus, is reportedly prevalent in a large number of avian species and mammals including humans, and poses immense public health challenge as a potential pandemic originator[1]. It has been reported that IAV and Eurasian avian-like (EA) lineage influenza viruses have been co-circulating in pigs for nearly two decades in the Asian continent[2]. Pigs are known to be maintenance hosts for EA H1N1 besides acting as 'mixing bowls', with the potential to harbor viral strains which can cause pandemics[3]. The deadly impact of the two H1N1 pandemics in the recent past viz. the much famed Spanish flu of 1918 and the 2009 swine flu[1] pandemic rankles the scientific fraternity and public health experts till date. One re-assortant strain of EA H1N1 namely genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 (G4EA H1N1) has been reported to be present in pigs of certain provinces of China since the last decade. The detection of G4 EA H1N1 amongst personnel working in slaughterhouses in the swine industry in China[4] draws attention to the likely possibility of a G4 EA H1N1 pandemic in the near future, if not addressed well in time.