UN-Samoa Water Quality Survey 2019 Raw sequence reads

Analysis of microbe diversity in freshwater resources and nearshore seawater samples of Upolu Island was performed to investigate the distribution of harmful bacteria. For this, 124 samples were collected from 23 river systems, two volcanic lakes, and 45 locations inside and outside the barrier reef of Upolu Island, Samoa. Physicochemical parameters for general water quality, detec-tion of coliform bacteria and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were performed on all samples. Fe-cal indicator bacteria (FIB) testing indicated a wide distribution of coliform bacteria in all sampled freshwater sites with evidence of fecal coliform in most locations. Importantly, evidence of coli-form bacteria was found in most seawater samples inside and along the reef, apart from those samples taken ~20 km offshore. Illumina 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of the V4 hypervariable region confirmed the presence of various types of harmful bacterial species, namely from the En-terobacteriaceae, Enterococcae, Streptococcaceae, and Vibrionacea families. By combining the sensitivity of FIB testing and next-generation sequencing, we were able to show the extent of potential con-taminations in fresh and seawater samples and simultaneously identify the potential pathogenic bacterial genera present. The wide distribution of potential harmful bacteria from river runoff or direct sewage dumping has an impact on human health, leading to many skin and intestinal dis-eases, and is potentially detrimental to coral reef community health.