Detection of Helicobacter in the fecal material of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis.

The article presents a study on the presence of Helicobacter in the fecal material of the Yangtze finless porpoise or Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis. The researchers gathered fecal samples from 12 Yangtze finless porpoises at Poyang Lake from March 2 to 11, 2010, wherein they used a non-invasive method. They also used the ZR Fecal DNA kit to extract DNA from feces. They found that Helicobacter cetorum can effectively colonize different cetaceans including the Yangtze finless porpoise, the beluga whale and many different dolphin species.