Possible chinks in the crocodile armour: Defining skin microflora
Crocodiles are iconic Australian animals. They are also the source of fine, hard wearing leather prized by the world’s leading fashion houses. The commercial crocodile...
Published: 4 Sep 2013
Author(s): Melville, Lorna
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DownloadCrocodile farms are located across northern Australia, with the core business production of raw, salted belly skins to export markets, for tanning and production of luxury fashion items. Improvements in management have controlled parasitic diseases capable of causing high mortalities. However, in recent years, disease investigations in farmed crocodiles have shown lesions, suggestive of viral infections. These viral infections could not be confirmed or characterised due to a lack of suitable culture methods.