SO ENDS this contemplation of the relationship between pathogens and their hosts, and the balancing act between pathogen virulence and reproductive dispersal versus the evasive measures of the host including increased immunity and suicide, which reduce pathogen dispersal. This dance has gone on in parasite-host relationships in some form forever. At some level, the populations of both host and parasite have a meta-awareness of fecundity and costs, and these are brought to bear on the individual. An intriguing dance that reveals a lot about Nature. View in LinkedIn