Access to clean, safe drinking water is proving to be a critical factor in the alarming rise of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) among three of South India’s most secluded tribal groups. This significant finding comes from a recent collaborative study conducted by the University of Hyderabad’s (UoH) School of Life Sciences and the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI).
AMR: A Growing Threat to the Foundations of Modern Medicine
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stands as a monumental public health crisis of our time, jeopardizing the very foundation of modern medicine by compromising the efficacy of essential drugs like antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic agents. Although microbial evolution naturally leads to some resistance, the accelerated and widespread emergence of AMR is largely fueled by the improper and excessive use of antimicrobials in human healthcare, agriculture, and veterinary practices. This was highlighted in a recent press release on October 28, 2025.
The research team, comprising Sahid Afrid Mollick, Gin Khan Khual, and Pulamaghatta N. Venugopal from AnSI, alongside Anwesh Maile and Hampapathalu Adimurthy from UoH’s Department of Systems and Computational Biology, employed advanced shotgun metagenomic sequencing. This cutting-edge technique allowed them to thoroughly analyze the gut microbiomes of three ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups’ (PVTGs), offering a detailed look into their microbial profiles.
Studying Vulnerable Communities Across Three States
The study involved 103 healthy adult volunteers from the Irula, Jenu Kuruba, and Kurumba communities, spanning the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Each participant contributed fecal samples, alongside detailed socio-demographic information such as their primary drinking water source (stream or tubewell) and their living environment (rural or urban).
By meticulously sequencing the complete microbial DNA present in these stool samples, the researchers successfully identified and quantified various antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). This process provided crucial new insights into the intricate ways in which environmental conditions and daily lifestyle choices contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance within these susceptible communities.
While the study’s scope didn’t include analyzing ARGs directly from water sources, soil, food, livestock, or agricultural runoff, it unequivocally established drinking water source as a primary ecological factor driving variations in the gut resistome. Notably, individuals relying on tubewells exhibited a higher prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes. In contrast, those consuming stream water displayed a richer diversity and a greater abundance of non-antibiotic resistance elements, specifically those associated with metals and biocides.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared AMR a global health emergency back in 2014, with projections indicating it could lead to as many as 10 million deaths annually by 2050. Within this critical global context, the present study delivers vital insights into how specific local environments can significantly influence the spread of resistance, especially among these isolated tribal groups. The results emphatically highlight the immediate necessity for ensuring safe water access, implementing robust environmental surveillance, and developing public health strategies specifically informed by resistome data.