WC2003 174:60.02 A Microbiological Web-Based Database For Bacteria Resistant To Antibiotics Used In Aquaculture: A User-Friendly Structure. S.Bertone 1,2 , C.Ruggiero 3 , F.Raffo 3 and M.Giacomini 3 1 RI.L.A.B. srl, Genova, Italy. 2 DISCAT, Microbiology Section, University of Genova, Italy. 3 Dept. of Communication Computer and System Science, University of Genova, Italy. ABSTRACT This web-based data base (DB) application has been designed in order to collect data coming from microbiological samples from aquaculture systems. The European founded project ASIARESIST (Hazard analysis of antibiotic resistance associated with Asian aquacultural environments - ICA4-CT-2001-10028 - INCO-DEV Program) aims to study bacteria resistant to antibiotics used in aquaculture coming from fish water and sediment samples of Asian aquaculture farms (Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam). The aim of the project is to investigate the possibility of antibiotic resistance transfer between bacteria coming from aquaculture samples and bacteria such as Escherichia coli commonly present in the human intestine. INTRODUCTION This web-based data base (DB) application has been designed in order to collect data coming from microbiological samples from aquaculture systems. The European founded project ASIARESIST (Hazard analysis of antibiotic resistance associated with Asian aquacultural environments - ICA4-CT-2001-10028 - INCO-DEV Program) aims to study bacteria resistant to antibiotics used in aquaculture coming from Asian aquaculture farms (Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam). The problem arises from the large use of various antibiotics in aquaculture, both for treatment and for prevention of diseases in aquatic species. While the use of these antibiotics are important for many farmers in order to maintain their activities, since effective vaccines for aquacultured species are not developed yet for all important pathogens, their use presents potential problems for the end user. Fish and crustaceans are usually farmed at high densities and the antibiotic administration through food or water leads to high antibiotic concentrations in the aquatic environment in the farm proximity, causing high probability of antibiotic resistance development in the residential microflora. Although most of the environmental bacteria that occur in the proximity of aquaculture farms are non pathogenic for animals and humans, when they develop resistances to the various antibiotics used in the farms, it can become a risk for the population. In fact, due to the capability of bacteria in natural environments to transfer genetic information among themselves, an important way of genetic renewal in Prokaryotics, the antibiotic resistances could find their way to human pathogens occasionally present in such environments. This causes a significant risk to the end user (Midtvedt and Lingaas, 1992; Sandaa et al., 1992). Thus, this project has the aim to investigate the antibiotic resistances that may occur in aquaculture systems in South East Asia, to study the possibility of genetic transfer of such resistance between bacteria, and to asses the risks for the end users. Antibiotic usage in aquaculture is legitimate as regards some type of antibiotics. Chloramphenicol (CHL) is an example of antibiotic not permitted, due to its high toxicity for the humans. The recent evidence of its illegal use in aquacultures of shrimp and prawns in producing countries of Asia, has caused the rejection of Asian aquaculture products by the