transmission of infection transmission process direct transmission https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols/ontologies/trans Direct and essentially immediate transfer of infectious agents to a receptive portal of entry through which human or animal infection may take place. This may be by direct contact such as touching, kissing, biting, or sexual intercourse or by the direct projection (droplet spread) of droplet spray onto the conjunctiva or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. It may also be by direct exposure of susceptible tissue to an agent in soil, compost, or decaying vegetable matter or by the bite of a rabid animal. Transplacental transmission is another form of direct transmission. Direct transmission is a transmission process that is the means during which the pathogen is transmitted immediately from a reservoir, source or host to another host.