Preventive Veterinary Medicine 101 (2011) 113–120 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Preventive Veterinary Medicine j ourna l ho me pag e: ww w.elsevi er.com/locate/prev etmed Integrating contact network structure into tuberculosis epidemiology in meerkats in South Africa: Implications for control Julian A. Drewe a,b,∗ , Ken T.D. Eames c , Joah R. Madden d , Gareth P. Pearce b a Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK b Wildlife Health and Conservation Medicine Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK c London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK d Animal Behaviour Group, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 14 December 2010 Received in revised form 9 May 2011 Accepted 11 May 2011 Keywords: Epidemiology Network Suricata suricatta Tuberculosis Wildlife a b s t r a c t Empirical studies that integrate information on host contact patterns with infectious dis- ease transmission over time are rare. The aims of this study were to determine the relative importance of intra-group social interactions in the transmission of tuberculosis (TB; Mycobacterium bovis infection) in a population of wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in South Africa, and to use this information to propose an evidence-based intervention strategy to manage this disease. Detailed behavioural observations of all members of eight meerkat groups (n = 134 individuals) were made over 24 months from January 2006 to December 2007. Social network analysis of three types of interaction (aggression, foraging compe- titions and grooming) revealed social structure to be very stable over time. Clustering of interactions was positively correlated with group size for both aggression (r = 0.73) and grooming interactions (r = 0.71), suggesting that infections may spread locally within clus- ters of interacting individuals but be limited from infecting all members of large groups by an apparent threshold in connections between different clusters. Repeated biological sampling every three months of all members of one social group (n = 37 meerkats) was undertaken to quantify individual changes in M. bovis infection status. These empirical data were used to construct a dynamic network model of TB transmission within a meerkat group. The results indicated that grooming (both giving and receiving) was more likely than aggression to be correlated with M. bovis transmission and that groomers were at higher risk of infection than groomees. Intervention strategies for managing TB in meerkats that focus on those individuals engaging in the highest amount of grooming are therefore proposed. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Globally, many wildlife species are infected with Mycobacterium bovis and some such as Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) may maintain the infection and transmit it to cattle (Independent Scientific Group, 2007). Control of tuberculosis (TB) in livestock and wildlife is constrained by ∗ Corresponding author at: Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK. Tel.: +44 1707 666064; fax: +44 1707 667051. E-mail address: jdrewe@rvc.ac.uk (J.A. Drewe). the lack of a dependable science base addressing M. bovis transmission (Cross et al., 2004; Independent Scientific Group, 2007). The social structure of animal populations considerably influences the transmission dynamics and persistence of infectious diseases, yet the impact of host behaviour on the transmission of infectious diseases is rarely quantified. There is an urgent need for empirical research integrating information on host mixing patterns and the transmission of M. bovis if effective TB management strategies are to be developed (Cross et al., 2004). It is often assumed that all animals within a popula- tion are equally susceptible and infectious for diseases. However, studies of human diseases show that the distri- 0167-5877/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.05.006