Infection patterns in simple and complex contagion processes on networks

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012206
• Publication Date: 2024-06-10T17:42:06Z
• Authors: Diego Andrés Cont...; Giulia Cencetti; Alain Barrat
• Keywords: Physics - Physics and Society; QH301-705.5; Humans; Computational Biology; FOS: Physical sciences; Computer Simulation; Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph); Biology (General); Communicable Diseases; Models, Biological; Research Article

Contagion processes, representing the spread of infectious diseases, information, or social behaviors, are often schematized as taking place on networks, which encode for instance interactions between individuals. The impact network structure spreading process has been widely investigated, but not reverse question: do different processes unfolding a given lead to infection patterns? How patterns depend model's parameters nature contagion processes? Here we address this issue by investigating variety models. In simple where events involve one connection at time, find that extremely robust across models and parameters. complex instead, in multiple needed event, non-trivial dependencies emerge, pattern depends interplay pairwise group contagions. involving threshold mechanisms moreover, slight parameter changes can significantly paths. Our results show it is possible study crucial features from models, inform us variations nature.