Summary
A
multidisciplinary study was conducted on water from two rivers in
the Abruzzo region of Italy. The study highlighted the importance
of histopathological investigations in the evaluation of the environmental
impact on fish. Brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) from the
Aterno river and chub (Leuciscus cephalus) from the Vomano
river were sampled in winter and then again in spring. Histopathological
investigations of gills, kidneys and livers revealed inflammatory
and degenerative lesions, early warning signals of environmental
stress. Lesions were evaluated semi-quantitatively and findings
were ranked. The histopathological features were compared with results
obtained from the analysis of water samples and macroinvertebrates
collected in the two rivers (extended biotic index). All results
confirmed alterations of the environment.
Keywords
Chubs,
Environment, Extended biotic index, Fish, Histology, Pollution, Trout. |