13/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 13/07/2024 22:41
July 13, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of multinuclear sphere X (MSX) caused by Haplosporidium nelsoni in wild oyster samples collected in Bedeque Bay, Prince Edward Island (PEI). While MSX prevents oysters from thriving, such as decreased rates of growth and increased oyster mortality, this disease poses no risk to human health, nor does it pose a risk to food safety.
To limit the spread of the disease, the CFIA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Province of PEI are working together with stakeholders and provincial/territorial partners to monitor the situation and take action as necessary.
These actions are part of the Government of Canada's One Health approach to prepare for, detect, and manage animal diseases. In addition to existing robust protective measures and increased animal surveillance measures, the CFIA, DFO and the Province continue to conduct tracing activities and testing of oysters to gain insight into the presence of MSX in the area. This testing is not conducted for food safety purposes.
Now that MSX has been detected, together the Government of Canada and Province of PEI are continuing the investigation and taking further response measures. At this time, these include:
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