Detections of MSX and Dermo in oysters in Quebec

Statement The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the aquatic animal diseases multinucleate sphere unknown (MSX) and Dermo (also known as Perkinsosis) in oyster samples collected in Chaleur Bay, Québec. MSX and Dermo do not pose risks to human health or food safety, but they can cause increased oyster mortality and…

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$3.1M announced to develop MSX-resistant oyster seed

This article was originally published by Genome Atlantic on June 26, 2025. We are sharing the full text here for reference. All rights remain with the original publisher.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 26, 2025 Halifax, NS – MSX is a deadly oyster disease – harmless to humans but fatal to oysters. In Canada, it…

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CFIA Weekly Industry Updates

In an effort to both share CFIA’s weekly updates, and provide an archive we will be posting PDF copies to this post as they come in: #29 – Week of September 15th, 2025  #28 – Week of August 28th, 2025 #27 – Weeks of August 11th and 18th, 2025 #26 – Weeks of July 28th…

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Update from the Province of PEI on Oyster Surveillance Results

The Department of Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture has been conducting spring surveillance sampling of oysters from wild oyster beds and oyster aquaculture leases. Results from this testing has lead to suspect Dermo cases being detected in Prince Edward Island. These suspect cases have not been confirmed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The…

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Detection of Dermo in oysters in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of Dermo (also known as Perkinsosis) in oyster samples collected in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Dermo does not pose a risk to human health or food safety, but it can cause increased oyster mortality and decreased growth rates. This is the first confirmed…

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List of ongoing research on MSX

Summary of research Name of researcher Affiliation Email address Dr. Attiq Rehman Research and Productivity Council attiq.rehman@rpc.ca Dr. Beibei Jia AVC jbeibei@upei.ca Dr. Jordon Poley, Dr. Tiago Hori Onda jpoley@onda.ca Dr. Larry Hammell AVC hammell@upei.ca Dr. Lisanework Ayalew AVC layalew@upei.ca Dr. Martin Mallet Mallet Oyster farms martin@malletoyster.com Dr. Rod Beresford Cape Breton University rod_beresford@cbu.ca Dr.…

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