Decoding the functional landscape and resistome profile of the gut microbiome in the Pangwala tribal community of India

The human gut microbiome consists of a complex and diverse community of commensal microorganisms and has been under extensive research consideration in the past few decades. Although several recent studies have targeted the determination of bacterial composition of the ecosystem, the knowledge about the mycobiome, virome, and functional attributes of the same remains scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional and resistome profile of the gut microbiome in the Pangwala tribal community of India using a combined Whole Metagenome Shotgun (WMS) sequencing and bioinformatics approach. The findings revealed a remarkable diversity of microorganisms inhabiting the gut of both groups, with similar level of diversity among the dominant genera like Prevotella , Bifidobacterium and Succinivibrionaceae . The mycobiome was dominated by the subkingdom Dikarya (74%), while Fungi incertae sedis accounted for 23% of the total fungal species in both groups. The virome analysis showed the dominance of the Caudoviricetes class, with bacteriophages being the most dominant. Moreover, functional analysis identified the prominent metabolic pathways and the key gene families involved in the pathways, highlighting Prevotella copri as the major contributor. Additionally, the study identified the resistome and showed that there were more than 100 potential antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) and high levels of resistance to vancomycin in both groups. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the gut microbiome in the Pangi population, detailing both in its taxonomic structure and functional traits. The results show that, despite the high degree of diversity in the gut microbiome, there seems to be evident functional redundancy, which underlines a core stable microbiome. The resistome profile offers complete exploratory picture of the resistome and establishes a valuable baseline for future studies. Furthermore, we anticipate that these findings will add valuable insights to understand the Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stewardship in the light of one health aspect.