This book brings together a large amount of microbiological information about the skin. The 14 authors, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, represent the fields of dermatology, microbiology, veterinary medicine, and virology. The 16 chapters include overviews of the skin as an ecosystem, the structure and function of the skin, physical factors affecting the microbial flora of the skin, and the nutritional requirements of cutaneous microorganisms. There are specific chapters about the coryneform bacteria, staphylococci, streptococci, other bacteria (including gram-negative bacteria and mycobacteria), fungal infections, viral infections, microbial interactions, adherence of microorganisms to the skin, and skin disinfection. There are also two chapters that deal exclusively with cutaneous infections in animals.
The book emphasizes the microbiology of the skin. Many of the detailed sections on microbiology are written by microbiologists. In these sections, there are interesting and helpful discussions about the carriage of Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, and