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A comment on Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host.

Re:Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host by billytetrud on Thursday May 20, 2021 @03:02PM (#27225592)
Aren't they symbiotic if they're doing this rather than parasites?
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Re:Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host by bencollier49 on Thursday May 20, 2021 @04:33PM (#27226823)
It's weird. Symbiotic to the ant; parasitic to the hive.

But then the ant isn't the reproductive unit.

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Re:Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host by freehrtradical on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:57PM (#27229342)
Symbiotic just means two species living close together. That may be positive (mutualistic), neutral (commensal), or negative (parasitism). However, mutualistic and parasitic may not be mutually exclusive. For examples, see:

1. McKay, D. M. (2009). The therapeutic helminth?. Trends in parasitology, 25(3), 109-114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2008.11.008

2. Zaccone, P., Fehervari, Z., Phillips, J. M., Dunne, D. W., & Cooke, A. (2006). Parasitic worms and inflammatory diseases. Parasite immunology, 28(10), 515-523, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3024.2006.00879.x

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