Unsafe Water Fuels Antibiotic Resistance In Tribes: Study
“Water quality appears to play a central role in shaping antibiotic resistance in these populations,” said Prof. Hampapathalu Adimurthy Nagarajaram from the UoH. “This shows that resistance isn’t just a hospital problem; it starts in the environment.”
Hyderabad: The fight against antibiotic resistance in India’s tribal communities may have more to do with water than with medicine. A new study has found that unsafe drinking water could be helping antibiotic resistance spread among some of the country’s most isolated tribes.
Researchers from the Anthropological Survey of India and the University of Hyderabad studied 103 healthy adults from three tribal groups: Irula, Jenu Kuruba and Kurumba across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Using advanced DNA sequencing, they analysed the gut bacteria of participants and linked their resistance patterns to the type of water they used, stream or tubewell.
The results were striking. People who drank stream water carried more genes that resist metals and cleaning agents, while those who depended on tubewells had more antibiotic resistance. The study found that even communities with little antibiotic exposure could develop resistance through contaminated or mineral-rich water sources.
“Water quality appears to play a central role in shaping antibiotic resistance in these populations,” said Prof. Hampapathalu Adimurthy Nagarajaram from the UoH. “This shows that resistance isn’t just a hospital problem; it starts in the environment.”
The research, published in One Health, used metagenomic sequencing, a technique that identifies all DNA in a sample, to understand how microbes in the human gut carry resistance genes. It revealed that heavy metals and biocides in water can apply ‘co-selection pressure,’ encouraging the growth of resistant bacteria even when antibiotics are not used.
The researchers have urged that safe drinking water and environmental monitoring be made part of India’s antibiotic resistance strategy, especially in rural and tribal regions.
The study did not test the water directly but found a strong link between water type and gut resistance. Scientists say future work must look at water, soil, and food samples to trace how resistance spreads between people and their surroundings.