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A study in BMC Microbiology (published online 15 June 2026) found that Pangwala tribespeople in Himachal Pradesh's Pangi valley and those who moved to cities keep a similar 'core' gut microbiome.
Researchers from Panjab University and SKAN Research Trust, funded by the Department of Health Research, used whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing on 28 healthy volunteers.
Prevotella copri dominated both groups (more so in Pangi residents), Bifidobacterium was abundant, and more than 100 potential antibiotic-resistance genes were found, with high vancomycin resistance.
The Pangwala are a Scheduled Tribe of Pangi tehsil in Chamba district, speaking the Indo-Aryan Pangwali language.
The core microbiome is the set of gut microbes and functions shared across a population despite differences in diet or place. The resistome is the full collection of antibiotic-resistance genes carried by a microbial community.
Simple Analogy: Different staff, same jobs still getting done.
The President specifies Scheduled Tribes for each state (after consulting the Governor); Parliament can change the list by law. The Pangwala are notified as a Scheduled Tribe of Himachal Pradesh.
Funded the study; one of two departments of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, overseeing medical research including ICMR
Pangi is a remote tribal tehsil of Chamba district, lying between the Pir Panjal and Zanskar ranges along the Chandrabhaga, which is called the Chenab once it leaves Pangi. Killar is its headquarters; Sach Pass (about 14,480 ft) links it to Chamba.
GS Paper I > Tribes of India; GS Paper III > Biotechnology, AMR
General Awareness > Tribes and states
Consider the following statements in respect of probiotics: 1. Probiotics are made of both bacteria and yeast. 2. The organisms in probiotics are found in foods we ingest but they do not naturally occur in our gut. 3. Probiotics help in the digestion of milk sugars. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: 1 and 3
Consider the following States: 1. Andhra Pradesh 2. Kerala 3. Himachal Pradesh 4. Tripura How many of the above are generally known as tea-producing States?
Answer: All four States
Which state has the maximum percentage of working female population as per Census 2011?
Answer: Himachal Pradesh
Community of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in the digestive tract
All antibiotic-resistance genes in a microbial community
Sequencing all DNA in a sample to identify organisms and their functions