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When Social Research On Networks And Genetic Data Conflict: Why Might People With Genetically‐similar Strains Of Stis Have Considerable SexualNetwork Distance As Determined Through Surveys?Friedman, Samuel R.; Sandoval, Milagros; Mateu‐Gelabert, PedroSocial Networks and HealthMethods, HIV/STD, Infectious Disease, Sex Networks, Social‐ecological Networks, Social Network TheoryFRI.AM1Studies of gonorrhea and HIV have found that network distance and genetic distance are not well correlated. This has been hypothesized to be due torespondents’ not naming some sex partners or to researchers’ failing to recruit partners who were named. Indirect transmission of pathogens between peoplewho never have sex with each other is another possible explanation for this phenomenon. This can occur at group sex events if someone’s body parts or sextoys carry infectious material between one of his or her partners and another partner. Such indirect transmission chains might extend across several partnersand several hours, so such indirect transmission might connect two people who were never at the same event at the same time. Prior research by Friedman etal (2008; 2010), Gazi et al 2008, Krauss et al (2006), Njue et al 2009, Rothenberg et al 1998, and Zule et al (2007) shows that group sex is common inheterosexual and mixed contexts as well as LGBT contexts. This possibility shows the importance of collective nodes or events for social network research.Collective nodes can greatly increase concurrency and bridging. “Shooting galleries” have been shown to be important for HIV transmission dynamics in thenetworks of injection drug users, for example. On an epidemiologic level, it poses a difficult challenge: to assess the probability of indirect transmission and thefactors that affects this probabilities. Parameters from such studies could become part of mathematical models of transmission dynamics across networks andgroup sex events.