Minchinia nelsoni n. sp. (Haplosporida, Haplosporidiidae): causative agent of the Delaware Bay oyster epizoötic.
Since 1957, oyster popuulations of the Middle Atlantic coast have been ravaged by a new sporozoan parasite that has been called "MSX." This parasite is identified as a new species of Minchinia that invades oysters through epithelial tissues of gill, palp, water tubes, and, occasionally, of the digestive tract. Multinucleate plasmodia are recognized in fresh and fixed preparations.
D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008974:Mollusca