[Malassezia and its presumed association with skin diseases in dogs].

Malassezia pachydermatis is the major species in Malassezia isolated from dogs, and there is a presumably Malassezia-associated skin disease,"Malassezia dermatitis" in the dog. The skin lesion is characterized by relatively demarcated erythema with some scaling at the sebum-rich areas, in which lichenification and hyperpigmentation could be involved in the chronic stage. The clinical features suggest that it corresponds to seborrheic dermatitis in humans. Hence, it might be possible to identify essential pathogenesis of the disease by clarifying its differences in humans and animals as a shared disease.