A Day in the Life of an Oyster Sample
Learn more about shellfish harvesting and safety.
Transcript
Samples of a Pacific oyster are being taken in order to test them for diseases and parasites.
First, electronic calipers are used to measure and record the shell length of the oyster sample.
In the Necropsy lab, sterilized tools are used to conduct an oyster necropsy.
This starts with a typical oyster shucking tool to crack open the hard shell and a scalpel to separate the oyster from its shell.
The dissection process begins by sectioning the oyster into small segments across the oyster’s digestive gland and gills.
Then, these “tissue steaks” are placed in cassettes to be preserved for further processing at the histology laboratory.
Any lesions or abnormalities are removed for additional testing.
In the histology lab, preserved samples are transferred to a tissue processing machine – it removes all water and infiltrates the tissues with paraffin wax.
Still in its cassette, the sample is embedded in a mold filled with paraffin wax.
Once the wax is cool, the sample is placed onto the “microtome” – that slices the sample into ribbons of ultra-thin tissue cross-sections.
The ribbons are transferred to a warm water bath, separated, and picked up onto glass microscope slides.
The slides are put through a series of washes, heat and drying steps, to affix and stain each tissue cross-section to the slide.
The stain reveals features of the sample at a cellular level.
The slide is now ready for analysis.
Compound microscopes are used to magnify the stained tissue cells.
Researchers are looking for evidence of disease organisms of concern in shellfish.
Their analysis provides science advice to control the spread or movement of shellfish diseases either locally or internationally.
This science is a critical step in ensuring global confidence in Canada’s seafood exports and protecting a vital resource for Canadians.
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