Detection of Helicobacter in the digestive tract of an Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)

Helicobacter spp. occur in the digestive system of a broad range of animal taxa, including marine mammals. Only one formally recognized species, Helicobacter cetorum, has been described in marine mammals. Helicobacter has not been reported in the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis). The purpose of our study was to examine the digestive tract of a stranded spotted dolphin for Helicobacter. Tissue and content samples were collected at necropsy and examined by histopathology and molecular analyses using Helicobacter genus-specific 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. Helicobacter was detected in all stomach divisions and the duodenal ampulla. A sequence type of the 16S rRNA gene shared a 98-99% identity to sequences from H. cetorum. This study reports for the first time Helicobacter in S. frontalis.