SHELL DISEASE IN RIVER COOTERS (PSEUDEMYS CONCINNA) AND YELLOW-BELLIED TURTLES (TRACHEMYS-SCRIPTA) IN A GEORGIA (USA) LAKE

A disfiguring shell disease was detected in river cooters (Pseudemys c oncinna) and yellow-bellied turtles (trachemys scripta) from Lake Blac kshear, Georgia (USA). The turtles used were part of a mark-recapture study conducted from September 1991 to June 1993. Histologic changes o n four turtles included acute segmental necrosis of the epidermis, Fol lowed by ulceration, necrosis of the underlying dermis and dermal bone , and exaggerated remodeling of bone. Additional findings included vis ceral inflammatory lesions and bacterial infection, sepsis, and marked trematode ova granulomatosis. The cause of the shell lesions was not determined.