Skin disease is common in Australian mammals. Although infectious agents account for the majority of published reports, dermatoses in Australian mammals may also reflect suboptimal health, nutrition or environmental conditions that increase the risk of infections, and inflammatory or degenerative changes.
In contrast to domestic mammals and humans, skin hypersensitivities are rarely reported, potentially influenced by natural selection pressures, considered breeding programs and exposure to environments with greater microbial diversity.
Autoimmune, metabolic and endocrine skin diseases are very rarely reported. A variety of ‘non-specific’ dermatoses are described, frequently with emphasis on histopathological findings, and sometimes with use of imprecise clinical terminology; these may reflect specific diseases or be a consequence of suboptimal skin health from a variety of causes.Despite a wide diversity of terrestrial and aquatic Australian mammal species and a relative paucity of published data, there are many commonalities that enable helpful cross-species comparisons. Confirming a diagnosis for skin disease, or at least narrowing to the more likely differential diagnoses, will enable successful treatment and management strategies. Dermatology texts for domestic animals are useful resources and Vogelnest and Woods (2008) and Ladds (2009) also compliment this chapter.
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