Which R packages are suitable for plotting disease transmission over time?

Question

I am trying to find a way to plot a disease transmission tree that allows me to:

• plot the tree over a timeline (a timeline spanning 2 months)
• specify the shape and colour of the nodes in the tree (so that you can easily identify which nodes belong to the same household for example)
• format the link between the nodes (dashed lines, two way arrows, solid lines...etc.)
• plot "stray branches" that aren't linked to the root/parent node.

The dataset I am working with is relatively small (22 nodes) so I don't mind working with a package that is a bit fiddly!

I have thought about using phylogeny trees, but I'm uncertain whether they will allow me to plot stray nodes. Which package would be most suitable for this task?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Try DiagrammeR. I don't have much experience, but it did what I needed to do and I know I barely scratched the surface of what it can do.