Bridging the Gap: Integrating Knowledge from the Study of Social Network Analysis and Infectious Disease Dynamics in Human and Nonhuman Primates

Primates live in complex social systems, and social contact and disease inter-act to shape the evolution of animal (including human) sociality. Researchersuse social network analysis (SNA), a method of mapping and measuringcontact patterns within a network of individuals, to understand the rolethat social interactions play in disease transmission. Here, we review lessonslearned from SNA of humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs) and explorehow they can inform health and wildlife conservation. Utilizing the breadthof knowledge in human systems and outlining how we can integrate thatknowledge into our understanding of NHP sociality will add to our com-prehension of disease transmission in NHP social networks and, in turn,will reveal more about human disease and well-being.