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Classical swine fever has been spreading across the country since its re-emergence in Japan in 2018. Gifu Prefecture has been working diligently to control the disease through the oral vaccine dissemination targeting wild boars. Although vaccines were sprayed at 14,000 locations between 2019 and 2020, vaccine ingestion by wild boars was only confirmed at 30% of the locations. Here, we predicted the vaccine ingestion rate at each point by Random Forest modeling based on vaccine dissemination data and created prediction surfaces for the probability of vaccine ingestion by wild boar using spatial interpolation techniques. Consequently, the distance from the vaccination point to the water source was the most important variable, followed by elevation, season, road density, and slope. The area under the curve, model accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for model evaluation were 0.760, 0.678, 0.661, and 0.685, respectively. Areas with high probability of wild boar vaccination were predicted in northern, eastern, and western part of Gifu. Leave-One-Out Cross Validation results showed that Kriging approach was more accurate than the Inverse distance weighting method. We emphasize that effective vaccination strategies based on epidemiological data are essential for disease control and that our proposed tool is also applicable for other wildlife diseases., Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Wild boar population dynamics promote the increase in numbers and distribution of the species in Eurasia, leading to a rise in the interaction with human activities, as well as generating problems with the management of certain infectious diseases, most notably African swine fever (ASF). ASF virus possesses high stability in several contaminated pork and pork products that can be a source of indirect transmission to susceptible hosts habituated to anthropogenic food waste. This transmission route is a concerning threat for the dispersion of the disease, primarily into unaffected areas given the worldwide widespread distribution of the disease and the increase of wild boar contact with humans. Thus, in this study, a straightforward tool to assess the relative risk of wild boar natural populations potentially consuming food waste is presented using synthetic data. Three risk groups were defined related to urban areas, travel, and leisure. The surrounding quality of habitat of wild boar was used to obtain the relative risk of wild boar potentially consuming anthropogenic food waste. To assign the relative risk to the corresponding risk unit, we also included the population for the urban areas group, and traffic volume for the travel risk group. The leisure group had higher scaled risk scores, followed by the urban areas group. Higher risk was found in the edges of the study area where more natural landscapes are found. The implications of this risk are discussed focusing on the context of ASF transmission. The outputs can help prioritize decision-making in terms of the improvement of preventive measures against the habituation of wild boar to anthropogenic food waste and ASFV introduction in a given study area., European Commission, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Open access funding provided by the Max Planck Society., Infectious wildlife diseases that circulate at the interface with domestic animals pose significant threats worldwide and require early detection and warning. Although animal tracking technologies are used to discern behavioural changes, they are rarely used to monitor wildlife diseases. Common disease-induced behavioural changes include reduced activity and lethargy (‘sickness behaviour’). Here, we investigated whether accelerometer sensors could detect the onset of African swine fever (ASF), a viral infection that induces high mortality in suids for which no vaccine is currently available. Taking advantage of an experiment designed to test an oral ASF vaccine, we equipped 12 wild boars with an accelerometer tag and quantified how ASF affects their activity pattern and behavioural fingerprint, using overall dynamic body acceleration. Wild boars showed a daily reduction in activity of 10–20% from the healthy to the viremia phase. Using change point statistics and comparing healthy individuals living in semi-free and free-ranging conditions, we show how the onset of disease-induced sickness can be detected and how such early detection could work in natural settings. Timely detection of infection in animals is crucial for disease surveillance and control, and accelerometer technology on sentinel animals provides a viable complementary tool to existing disease management approaches., European Commission, Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Authors’ contributions: CAV and JB designed the study. CAV developed the methodology, JB conducted data acquisition, and CMP and CAV curated the data and performed the analysis. CAV, JMSV, JB, and MM validated the results, while visualization was carried out by CAV. CAV and CMP wrote the first version of the manuscript, which was reviewed by JB, MM, and JMSV. Te author responsible for funding acquisition and project supervision was JMSV. All authors read and approved the defnitive version of this manuscript. Cecilia Aguilar–Vega and Carolina Muñoz–Perez contributed equally to this work., African swine fever (ASF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease affecting domestic and wild suids, with catastrophic socioeconomic impact worldwide. In the European scenario, wild boar (Sus scrofa) actively contributes to the maintenance and spread of the disease. In this study, we applied a multivariate clustering method to define ecoregions in the western Palearctic realm based on ecological and sanitary aspects of ASF in wild boar. Beforehand, we performed a principal components analysis for the eight selected variables. An analysis of the countries was carried out in terms of the extent of ecoregions and ASF notifications. After clustering, we identified nine eco-regions that showed important differences based on the used eco-sanitary variables. Several ecoregions stand out in the country and notification analysis for retaining the most ASF cases and being present in their surrounding locations. Here, we developed a cartographical tool to understand patterns in the distribution and spread of ASF in wild boar at the European level, as well as improve prevention, control, surveillance plans, and eradication strategies, especially future vaccination programs once a safe and effective vaccine is available., European Union, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Author contributions T.G., J.B., and M.C.M.S. conceptualized and designed the study. J.B. conducted data negotiation and collection. T.G., J.B., P.C., and M.C.M.S. were responsible for methodology design while T.G. and P.C. performed the analysis. T.G., J.B., and M.C.M.S. were responsible for validation and review of the results. The first draft of the manuscript was written by T.G., which was reviewed by the rest of authors. M.C.M.S. and J.B. supervised the entire project. The author responsible for funding acquisition and project supervision were J.M.S.V., J.B. and M.C.M.S. M.C.M.S. and J.B. are co-last authors. All authors read and approved the definitive version of this manuscript., African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious and highly fatal disease affecting wild and domestic swine, which is unstoppably spreading worldwide. In Europe, wild boars are one of the main drivers of spread, transmission, and maintenance of the disease. Landscape connectivity studies are the main discipline to analyze wild-species dispersal networks, and it can be an essential tool to predict dispersal-wild boar movement routes and probabilities and therefore the associated potential ASF spread through the suitable habitat. We aimed to integrate wild boar habitat connectivity predictions with their occurrence, population abundance, and ASF notifications to calculate the impact (i.e., the capacity of a landscape feature to favor ASF spread) and the risk (i.e., the likelihood of a habitat patch becoming infected) of wild boar infection across Europe. Furthermore, we tested the accuracy of the risk of infection by comparing the results with the temporal distribution of ASF cases. Our findings identified the areas with the highest impact and risk factors within Europe's central and Eastern regions where ASF is currently distributed. Additionally, the impact factor was 31 times higher on habitat patches that were infected vs non-infected, proving the utility of the proposed approach and the key role of wild boar movements in ASF-spread. All data and resulting maps are openly accessible and usable., Unión Europea (grant agreement no. 862874A), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

Se aborda el problema de las enfermedades infecciosas porcinas en los países asiáticos, líderes en el mercado porcino, las cuales suponen un riesgo para toda la cadena de valor. Se menciona la peste porcina africana (ASF, por sus siglas en inglés) y algunos casos en Vietnam y Laos, junto a los factores de riesgo, las medidas de bioseguridad y el tiempo entre infección y detección. Asimismo, se menciona la aparición del Deltacoronavirus porcino (PDCov, por sus siglas en inglés) en China y se recomiendan medidas de control para la prevención de una posible expansión global., Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

El texto completo de este trabajo no se encuentra disponible por no haber sido facilitado aún por su autor, por restricciones de copyright, o por no existir una versión digital, Amphibian species are declining at an alarming rate on a global scale in large part owing to an infectious disease caused by the chytridiomycete fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This disease of amphibians has recently emerged within Europe, but knowledge of its effects on amphibian assemblages remains poor. Importantly, little is known about the environmental envelope that is associated with chytridiomycosis in Europe and the potential for climate change to drive future disease dynamics. Here, we use long-term observations on amphibian population dynamics in the Penalara Natural Park, Spain, to investigate the link between climate change and chytridiomycosis. Our analysis shows a significant association between change in local climatic variables and the occurrence of chytridiomycosis within this region. Specifically, we show that rising temperature is linked to the occurrence of chytrid-related disease, consistent with the chytrid-thermal-optimum hypothesis. We show that these local variables are driven by general circulation patterns, principally the North Atlantic Oscillation. Given that B. dendrobatidis is known to be broadly distributed across Europe, there is now an urgent need to assess the generality of our finding and determine whether climate-driven epidemics may be expected to impact on amphibian species across the wider region., Fundación BBVA, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Depto. de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub

2023 Acuerdos transformativos CRUE, African swine fever (ASF) is currently threatening the global swine industry. Its unstoppable global spread poses a serious risk to Spain, one of the world's leading producers. Over the past years, there has been an increased global burden of ASF not only in swine but also swine products. Unfortunately, many pigs are not diagnosed before slaughter and their products are used for human consumption. These ASF-contaminated products are only a source for new ASF outbreaks when they are consumed by domestic pigs or wild boar, which may happen either by swill feeding or landfill access. This study presents a quantitative stochastic risk assessment model for the introduction of ASF into Spain via the legal import of swine products, specifically pork and pork products. Entry assessment, exposure assessment, consequence assessment and risk estimation were carried out. The results suggest an annual probability of ASF introduction into Spain of 1.74 × 10−4, the highest risk being represented by Hungary, Portugal, and Poland. Monthly risk distribution is homogeneously distributed throughout the year. Illegal trade and pork product movement for own consumption (e.g., air and ship passenger luggage) have not been taken into account due to the lack of available, accredited data sources. This limitation may have influenced the model's outcomes and, the risk of introduction might be higher than that estimated. Nevertheless, the results presented herein would contribute to allocating resources to areas at higher risk, improving prevention and control strategies and, ultimately, would help reduce the risk of ASF introduction into Spain., Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub, APC financiada por la UCM

Today’s global swine industry is exposed to the unprecedented threat of African swine fever (ASF). Asia, the site of the most recent epidemics, could serve as a huge viral reservoir for the rest of the world given the severity of the damage, the huge swine industry, and the high volume of trade with other countries around the world. As the majority of ASF notifications in Asia today originate from pig farms, the movement of live pigs and associated pork products are considered critical control points for disease management. Particularly, small-scale or backyard farms with low biosecurity levels are considered major risk factors. Meanwhile, wild boars account for most notified cases in some countries and regions, which makes the epidemiological scenario different from that in other Asian countries. As such, the current epidemic situation and higher risk factors differ widely between these countries. A variety of studies on ASF control have been conducted and many valuable insights have been obtained in Asia; nevertheless, the overall picture of the epidemic is still unclear. The purpose of this review is to provide an accurate picture of the epidemic situation across Asia, focusing on each subregion to comprehensively explain the disease outbreak. The knowledge gained from the ASF epidemics experienced in Asia over the past 5 years would be useful for disease control in areas that are already infected, such as Europe, as well as for non-affected areas to address preventive measures. To this end, the review includes two aspects: a descriptive analytical review based on publicly available databases showing overall epidemic trends, and an individualized review at the subregional level based on the available literature., European Union, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Supplementary Materials: Supplementary Figure 1: Spatial and temporal distributionof the total number of observations of bushpigs originallygathered (n = 206, left) and of the observations included inthe ecological niche model (n = 83, right) after correction forpseudoreplication. Supplementary Figure 2: Te Spearman’scorrelation matrix of the 36 environmental variables selectedfor the study. Supplementary Figure 3: Te map of thedensity of pigs (no. of heads/km 2) in Madagascar. Supple-mentary Figure 4: Variation in the repetition of the MaxEntanalysis resampling diferent presence points: (a) the fnalmodel presented in the study and used as a reference; (b) themap of the average absolute diference in the predictedoutput between each of the 1,000 analyses and the referencemap; and (c) maximum, 95th percentile, and median of thevariation (in %) from the reference map for each of the 1,000iterations. Supplementary Table 1: Variables considered forthe ecological niche model and source. Supplementary Code1: Example of an R code to correct for pseudoreplication.(Supplementary Materials). Data Availability: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request., Bushpigs (Potamochoerus larvatus) play a major role in the socio-ecosystem of Madagascar, particularly in rural areas. They are largely hunted by rural populations as a major source of income and protein. They can also represent a potential source of pathogens for domestic animals and people. For example, it is hypothesized that bushpigs might compromise African swine fever (ASF) eradication programs by sporadically transmitting the virus to domestic pigs. However, available knowledge on the distribution of bushpigs in Madagascar is limited. In this study, we estimated the distribution of bushpigs on Madagascar using a species distribution model (SDM). We retrieved 206 sightings of bushpigs in Madagascar during 1990–2016 and predicted the distribution by using 37 climatic, geographic, and agricultural/human variables related to the presence of bushpigs and running a presence-background maximum entropy SDM. Our model identified three main areas with a high suitability for bushpigs: in the north, central-western, and east of the island (AUC = 0.84). The main contributors to the model were the vegetation index (51.3%), percentage of land covered by trees (17.6%), and annual averaged monthly precipitation (12.6%). In addition, we identified areas in central Madagascar with a high density of domestic pigs and a high suitability score for bushpigs. These results may help to identify bushpig areas at the interface with domestic pigs to assess the risk of pathogen transmission and to design ecological assessments, wildlife management studies, or targeted surveillance and research studies related to many bushpig-borne pathogens, such as ASF, which is an endemic problem in the country, as well as zoonotic diseases such as cysticercosis and hepatitis E. Our approach could also be extrapolated to other species of wild swine in other countries., Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Authors’ contributions. K.M.: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, project administration, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing; J.A.B.: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, project administration, resources, validation, writing—review and editing; J.B.: conceptualization, formal analysis, methodology, writing—review and editing; G.H.: data curation, methodology, writing—review and editing; A.D.: data curation, methodology, project administration, writing—review and editing; J.A.: data curation, methodology, project administration, resources, writing—review and editing; T.B.: data curation, methodology, writing—review and editing; A.K.: data curation, methodology, writing—review and editing; E.C.-F.: data curation, methodology, writing—review and editing; M.M.A.: conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, writing—review and editing; D.Z.: conceptualization, investigation, methodology, writing—review and editing; M.W.: conceptualization, funding acquisition, investigation, project administration, supervision, writing—review and editing; J.M.V.-S.: conceptualization, funding acquisition, investigation, project administration, supervision, writing—review and editing; K.S.: conceptualization, investigation, methodology, project administration, supervision, writing—review and editing. All authors gave final approval for publication and agreed to be held accountable for the work performed therein., Infectious wildlife diseases that circulate at the interface with domestic animals pose significant threats worldwide and require early detection and warning. Although animal tracking technologies are used to discern behavioural changes, they are rarely used to monitor wildlife diseases. Common disease-induced behavioural changes include reduced activity and lethargy (‘sickness behaviour’). Here, we investigated whether accelerometer sensors could detect the onset of African swine fever (ASF), a viral infection that induces high mortality in suids for which no vaccine is currently available. Taking advantage of an experiment designed to test an oral ASF vaccine, we equipped 12 wild boars with an accelerometer tag and quantified how ASF affects their activity pattern and behavioural fingerprint, using overall dynamic body acceleration. Wild boars showed a daily reduction in activity of 10–20% from the healthy to the viremia phase. Using change point statistics and comparing healthy individuals living in semi-free and free-ranging conditions, we show how the onset of disease-induced sickness can be detected and how such early detection could work in natural settings. Timely detection of infection in animals is crucial for disease surveillance and control, and accelerometer technology on sentinel animals provides a viable complementary tool to existing disease management approaches., European Union, Max Planck Society, H2020, Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Since the first confirmation of African swine fever (ASF) in domestic pig farms in South Korea in September 2019, ASF continues to expand and most notifications have been reported in wild boar populations. In this study, we first performed a spatio-temporal cluster analysis to understand ASF spread in wild boar. Secondly, generalized linear logistic regression (GLLR) model analysis was performed to identify environmental factors contributing to cluster formation. In the meantime, the basic reproduction number (R0) for each cluster was estimated to understand the growth of the epidemic. The cluster analysis resulted in the detection of 17 spatio-temporal clusters. The GLLR model analysis identified factors influencing cluster formation and indicated the possibility of estimating ASF epidemic areas based on environmental conditions. In a scenario only considering direct transmission among wild boar, R0 ranged from 1.01 to 1.5 with an average of 1.10, while, in another scenario including indirect transmission via an infected carcass, R0 ranged from 1.03 to 4.38 with an average of 1.56. We identified factors influencing ASF expansion based on spatio-temporal clusters. The results obtained would be useful for selecting priority areas for ASF control and would greatly assist in identifying efficient vaccination areas in the future., Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

African swine fever (ASF) is currently the most threatening disease for domestic and wild pigs worldwide. Wild boar has been the main affected species in all EU countries except for Romania, where most notifications occur in domestic pigs. The spread of ASF in wild boar is challenging to control; risk factors are harder to identify and establish than in domestic pigs, which, together with an underestimation of the disease and the lack of treatment or an effective vaccine, are hindering control and eradication efforts. We distributed two online questionnaires, one for domestic pigs and one for wild boar, to experts of different background and countries in Europe, to explore risk factors in relation to ASF control connected to farming, hunting, trade, the environment, and domestic pig and wild boar populations. Overall, wild boar movements were estimated to pose the highest risk of ASF introduction and spread. The movement of pork and pork products for own consumption also ranked high. Here we explored, in addition to the assessment of risk pathways, the identification of risks of transmission at the domestic/wild boar interface, the importance of biosecurity practices and improved control efforts, and controversial opinions that require further attention., European Union Horizon 2020, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs that is threatening the global swine industry at present. The current spread of ASF in Europe and its recent incursion into Germany pose a serious risk to Spain, one of the world’s leading pig producers. A quantitative stochastic risk assessment model was developed to estimate the probability of ASF introduction into Spain via the legal import of live pigs. The results suggest a low annual probability of ASF introduction into Spain (1.07 × 10−4), the highest risk being concentrated in Central European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) during the months of April and February. The methods and results presented herein could contribute to improving prevention and control strategies and, ultimately, would help reduce the risk of ASF introduction into Spain., European Project H2020 VACDIVA, Depto. de Sanidad Animal, Fac. de Veterinaria, TRUE, pub

In recent years, African swine fever (ASF) has become prevalent in many areas, including Asia. The repeated detection of the ASF virus (ASFV) genome in pork products brought in air passenger’s luggage (PPAP) was also reported from Japanese airports. In the present study, the risk of ASFV exposure to susceptible hosts in Japan via three different pathways was assessed. Two quantitative stochastic risk assessment models were built to estimate the annual probability of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs, which could be attributed to foreign job trainees or foreign tourists. A semi-quantitative stochastic model was built to assess the risk of ASFV exposure to wild boar caused by foreign tourists. The overall mean annual probability of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs via PPAP carried by foreign job trainees was 0.169 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.000–0.600], whereas that by foreign tourists was 0.050 [95% CI: 0.000–0.214], corresponding to approximately one introduction every 5.9 and 20 years, respectively. The risk of ASFV exposure to domestic pigs was dispersed over the country, whereas that of wild boar was generally higher in the western part of Japan, indicating that the characteristics of the potential ASF risk in each prefecture were varied., Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Since September 2018, nearly 900 notifications of classical swine fever (CSF) have been reported in Gifu Prefecture (Japan) affecting domestic pig and wild boar by the end of August 2019. To determine the epidemiological characteristics of its spread, a spatio-temporal analysis was performed using actual field data on the current epidemic. The spatial study, based on standard deviational ellipses of official CSF notifications, showed that the disease likely spread to the northeast part of the prefecture. A maximum significant spatial association estimated between CSF notifications was 23 km by the multi-distance spatial cluster analysis. A space-time permutation analysis identified two significant clusters with an approximate radius of 12 and 20 km and 124 and 98 days of duration, respectively. When the area of the identified clusters was overlaid on a map of habitat quality, approximately 82% and 75% of CSF notifications, respectively, were found in areas with potential contact between pigs and wild boar. The obtained results provide information on the current CSF epidemic, which is mainly driven by wild boar cases with sporadic outbreaks on domestic pig farms. These findings will help implement control measures in Gifu Prefecture., Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), TRUE, pub

Funding JV contó con el apoyo del Fondo Húngaro de Investigación Científica (OTKA K84071) y de la Beca de Investigación Bolyai János de la Academia de Ciencias de Hungría. GP contó con el apoyo del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España con referencia BES-2012-055220. También agradecemos al director y empleados del Parque Nacional Sierra de Guadarrama y a las consejerías de Medio Ambiente de Madrid, Navarra, Asturias y Cantabria., One of the main goals of protected areas, especially National Parks, is biodiversity conservation. Taking into account the multiple negative impacts that allochthonous animals can cause in an ecosystem, it is important to know and track the introductions in order to take efficient management measures to enhance biodiversity conservation. We study the origin of an Ichthyosaura alpestris population in Peñalara Massif within the Guadarrama National Park, Central Spain. To accomplish this goal, we used nine microsatellite markers and sequences from 16S and ND4 genes. Both mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite analyses showed the close relationship between Peñalara and Asturian populations, despite their geographical distance, confirming the allochthonous origin of this population. Interestingly, more than one introduction event seems to have occurred with individuals from Lago Ercina and Pozos de Lloroza populations participating in the founding of the Peñalara population. Due to predation, competition and transmission of diseases enhanced by its ongoing expansion, I. alpestris population might be considered a threat to Peñalara biodiversity. We advise an efficient population control to conserve the biodiversity within the Guadarrama National Park and an update of the position of this population in the Spanish indexes and list of species., Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO), Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, Bolyai János Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Despite the important threat that emerging pathogens pose for the conservation of biodiversity as well as human health, very little is known about the adaptive potential of host species to withstand infections. We studied the quantitative genetic architecture responsible for the burden of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in a population of common toads in conjunction with other life-history traits (i.e., body size and development rate) that may be affected by common selective pressures. We found a significant heritable component that is associated with fungal burden, which may allow for local adaptation to this pathogen to proceed. In addition, the high genetic correlation found between fungal burden and development time suggests that both traits have to be taken into account in order to assess the adaptive response of host populations to this emerging pathogen., Ministerio de Educación, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales, Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub