In biology, a self-limiting organism or colony of organisms limits its own growth by its actions. For example, a single organism may have a maximum size determined by genetics, or a colony of organisms may release waste which is ultimately toxic to the colony once it exceeds a certain population. In some cases, the self-limiting nature of a colony may be advantageous, such as in the case of parasites. If their numbers became too high, they would kill the host, and thus themselves. In medicine, the term is often misused when implying a favorable outcome—"limited" rather than "self-limited".

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