Biologists from Florida Atlantic University spent two decades studying tissues of pygmy sperm whales, among the most elusive whales in the ocean. In individuals with ulcers and stomach inflammation, they discovered three previously unknown bacterial genotypes, according to infohub.kz.
Researchers from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, along with colleagues, published the findings in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. After analyzing tissue samples from pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) that stranded on the southeastern U.S. coast between 1999 and 2020, the scientists identified three bacterial genotypes, which they named Kogia Helicobacter 1, 2, and 3.
Genotypes 1 and 2 are genetically similar to strains found in dolphins, porpoises, and humans. Genotype Kogia Helicobacter 3 belongs to a more distant lineage. All four whales in which these microorganisms were found suffered from stomach ulcers, gastritis, fibrosis, and parasitic nematode infestations.
Although the infection was not directly identified as the cause of death for the mammals, the recurrent inflammatory processes suggest that the bacteria may cause chronic digestive system diseases in deep-diving whales.