TDP-43 and Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain of a harbor porpoise exposed to the cyanobacterial toxin BMAA

Garamszegi, Susanna P.; Brzostowicki, Daniel J.; Coyne, Thomas M.; Vontell, Regina T.; Davis, David A.
Toxins (2024)

Cetaceans are well-regarded as sentinels for toxin exposure. Emerging studies suggest that cetaceans can also develop neuropathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disease. The occurrence of neuropathology makes cetaceans an ideal…


Recent progress and future directions for conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaorientalis asiaorientalis)

Hao, Yujiang; Nabi, Ghulam; Mei, Zhigang; Zheng, Jinsong; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding
Der Zoologische Garten (2023)

With the functional extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin or baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) based on the survey conducted in 2006, the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaorientalis) is now the only…


Out of sight, out of mind: How conservation is failing European porpoises

Carlén, Ida; Nunny, Laetitia; Simmonds, Mark P.
Frontiers in Marine Science (2021)

The conservation of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) appears to be failing in Europe. There are particular concerns about this species in the Baltic Proper, Black, and Mediterranean Seas, as well…


Phthalate metabolites in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from Norwegian coastal waters

Rian, May Britt; Vike-Jonas, Kristine; Gonzalez, Susana Villa; Ciesielski, Tomasz Maciej; Venkatraman, Vishwesh; Lindstrøm, Ulf; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro; Asimakopoulos, Alexandros G.
Environment International (2020)

The exposure of marine mammals to phthalates has received considerable attention due to the ubiquitous occurrence of these pollutants in the marine environment and their potential adverse health effects. The…


Two decades’ variation of trace elements in bones of the endangered East Asian Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena asaeorientalis sunameri) from the East China Sea, China

Hao, Xiuqing; Shan, Hong; Wu, Caiwen; Zhang, Di; Chen, Bingyao
Biological Trace Element Research (2020)

There has been increasing concern about trace element accumulation in finless porpoises over the past decades, while the long-term variation of its concentration has been little known. Since most soft…


Plastic ingestion by harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena in the Netherlands: Establishing a standardised method

van Franeker, Jan A.; Bravo Rebolledo, Elisa L.; Hesse, Eileen; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; Kühn, Susanne; Leopold, Mardik; Mielke, Lara
Ambio (2018)

Stomach contents of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) collected in the Netherlands between 2003 and 2013 were inspected for the presence of plastic and other man-made litter. In 654 stomach samples…


Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls are still associated with toxic effects in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) despite having fallen below proposed toxicity thresholds

Williams, Rosie; ten Doeschate, Mariel; Curnick, David J.; Brownlow, Andrew; Barber, Jonathan L.; Davison, Nicholas J.; Deaville, Robert; Perkins, Matthew; Jepson, Paul D.; Jobling, Susan
Environmental Science & Technology (2020)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic, persistent, and lipophilic chemical compounds that accumulate to high levels in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and other cetaceans. It is important to monitor PCBs in…


Tissue-specific accumulation and body burden of parabens and their metabolites in small cetaceans

Jeong, Yunsun; Xue, Jingchuan; Park, Kyum Joon; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Moon, Hyo-Bang
Environmental Science & Technology (2018)

Parabens have been of global concern due to their endocrine disrupting properties. However, few studies have reported tissue-specific distribution of parabens in wildlife. In this study, we measured parabens and…


Cytokine expression and lymphocyte proliferative capacity in diseased harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) – Biomarkers for health assessment in wildlife cetaceans

Lehnert, Kristina; Siebert, Ursula; Reißmann, Kristina; Bruhn, Regina; McLachlan, Michael S.; Müller, Gundi; van Elk, Cornelis E.; Ciurkiewicz, Malgorzata; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Beineke, Andreas
Environmental Pollution (2019)

Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North and Baltic Seas are exposed to anthropogenic influences including acoustic stress and environmental contaminants. In order to evaluate immune responses in healthy and…