Cutaneous ulcerations in freshwater turtles have been related to the septicaemic Cutaneous Ulcerative d isease (sCUd), it has been described by Kaplan in 1957, associated with bacteria like Citrobacter freundii, Serratia spp. and Beneckea chitinovora. This disease has an acute course with cutaneous ulcerations, anorexia, lethargy, septicaemia and death. it has been reported in n orth america and e urope. rsuggest that the ulcerative shell disease is disseminated over the world and it is associated with bacteria, mainly g-negative, and it affects mainly the freshwater turtles. The disease has been reported occasionally in land and marine turtles, and it is characterized by a chronic course with erosion and flaking of the shell. However, there is not a consensus about if the sCUd and the ulcerative shell disease are the same disease or they are two different pathologies. i n this review, we are trying to differentiate the pathologies related with microbial infections of the tegument in chelonians.