I use a combination of field and laboratory experiments to determine the role of individuals in disease dynamics, in particular: I investigate the role of superspreaders in disease persistence. Individuals within a population are not equal; they differ in their exposure and susceptibility to parasites. These heterogeneities in infection status create "super-spreaders": hosts that support the highest vector intensity (often, 20% of the host population can account for at least 80% of pathogen and parasite transmission). Using a model system of ticks, tick-borne disease and rodents I am identifying super-spreader individuals. I have found that sexually mature male rodents of high body mass account for the majority of tick-borne pathogen transmission; this may be a functional group at which to direct disease control measures. I am also examining the role that highly-connected individuals play in disease transmission. To do this, I am constructing contact networks using time series capture-mark-recapture data from experimentally-manuipulated rodent populations.