Empirical studies that integrate information on host contact patterns with infectious disease
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 …