The heterogeneous herd: Drivers of close-contact variation in African buffalo and implications for pathogen invasion.

ABSTRACT: Many infectious pathogens are shared through social interactions, and examining host connectivity has offered valuable insights for understanding patterns of pathogen transmission across wildlife species. African buffalo are social ungulates and important reservoirs of directly-transmitted pathogens that impact numerous wildlife and livestock species. Here, we analyzed African buffalo social networks to quantify variation in close contacts, examined drivers of contact heterogeneity, and investigated how the observed contact patterns affect pathogen invasion likelihoods for a wild social ungulate. We collected continuous association data using proximity collars and sampled host traits approximately every 2 months during a 15-month study period in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Although

SUBMITTER: Rushmore J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10445036 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature