Possible chinks in the crocodile armour: defining skin microbiota

"The crocodile industry is based around the production of blemishfree belly skins for the international skin industry. Given the infancy of the industry, research and development efforts have been directed towards ensuring overall economic sustainability through improving various aspects of growth and survival, and supplying skins that meet the basic export requirements. However, as the international crocodilian industry has grown and farming practices have improved, more crocodile skins are available to supply the skin market. As a result, the expectation of what constitutes a firstgrade skin has become less ambiguous.

The main purpose of this project is to begin understanding the microflora of crocodile skin to determine what is commensal, opportunistic or pathogenic."