摘要:Summary. Trout farming, that represents the most important sector for aquaculture inland production
in Italy, can cause negative effects on aquatic ecosystems. Recently, in the framework of Water
Frame Directive 2000/60/EC and national law DL 152/2006, concerning the sustainable uses of
water resources, multi-criteria approaches have been suggested to evaluate the impact of fish farming
on aquatic ecosystems. In this study trout farms of central Italy were selected to investigate the
effects of their effluents, on receiving water bodies using a multi-criteria approach based on physicochemical
parameters, microbiological and macrobenthonic indicators, detected in sampling stations
located upstream/downstream the trout farm. Moreover, antibiotic susceptibility against antibiotics
allowed and/or forbidden by current law (D.lgs 193/56/06) was tested on E. coli strains. The results
indicate variations of chemical parameters and biological indicators from upstream to downstream
sites in some of the investigated farms. Antibiotic resistance of E. coli strains suggested a large use
of tetracycline and a possible past use of chloramphenicol. This study represents a first contribute
to the knowledge of fish farm impacts on aquatic systems in Central Italy.