Indirect pathogen transmission underlies an emerging infectious fungal disease outbreak in a wild reptile population

Infectious diseases present a growing risk to wildlife biodiversity. Predicting outbreak dynamics and developing effective management tools requires knowledge on the mechanisms of infection transmission. Specifically, understanding the relative contributions of direct host-to-host transmission versus indirect environmental transmission is critical. Here, we leverage a large dataset from long-term monitoring of a free-living population of eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) experiencing an outbreak of the fungal pathogen Nannizziopsis barbatae, to investigate this pathogens’ transmission. Using different host behaviours to model direct and indirect transmission of infection in this population, we demonstrate N. barbatae’s ability to infect hosts through indirect transmission. Our findings shed light on the danger N. barbatae poses to Australian reptiles, but also provide insights into how outbreaks should be managed. Additionally, we provide a methodology to elucidate the trans..., , , # Indirect pathogen transmission underlies an emerging infectious fungal disease outbreak in a wild reptile population

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zwp](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zwp)

## Description of the data and file structure

Investigating transmission of a recently emerged fungal disease (Nannizziopsis barbata) among a population of Eastern Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) using separate host behaviours to model direct (social) and indirect (environmental) disease transmission.

Data comes from observational surveys of a population of dragons recording the GPS locations of where individual dragons were sighted on specific dates at specific times.

There are two data files - initial raw data from observational surveys (Dragon_Sight_Data.csv), and data ready for analysis (INLA_Data.csv).

### Files and variables

#### File: INLA\_Data.csv

**Description:** Data ready for analysis in INLA model

##### Variables

* Name: Identity of individual dragon (de-iden...