I do like the framing of the issue as a sort of bacterial tragedy of the commons. > The virulent forms, which descend deeper into the respiratory tract, are ac

I do like the framing of the issue as a sort of bacterial tragedy of the commons. > The virulent forms, which descend deeper into the respiratory tract, are actually less contagious. The same goes for bugs such as Hemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis, which can inflame the protective membranes around the brain and lead to life-threatening cases of bacterial meningitis. In doing so, they risk capsizing their own ship without any hope of boarding a new one. That the microbes kill the very host they depend on in the process of trying to out-compete each other makes for a nice microcosm (perhaps literally?) of humanity's current treatment of Earth's environment.