I extend my humble gratitude to the American Society of Parasitologists for honoring me with the Stoll-Stunkard Memorial Lectureship award. This paper is dedicated to all members of my laboratory and colleagues, past and present, who have helped develop my research program. They are too numerous to be listed here, but they will recognize their names in the literature cited below. It is both an honor and a daunting task to follow those who before me have been recognized through this award. I also want to recognize my nominators for their support: Prof. Steve Singer, Prof. Marylin Scott, and Prof. Kim Barrett, under the leadership of Prof. Derek McKay.
Research into host-parasite interactions helps address fundamental questions into the regulation of an infinite range of host and microbial ecosystems. Through this article, my aim is to illustrate how it also represents a powerful tool to uncover fundamental biological principles of...