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Morgellons

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Morgellons or Morgellons disease is a skin condition characterized by stinging, biting, and crawling sensations. Its existence as a distinct entity is not accepted by the medical community. There is no agreed-upon physical cause or etiology.

It is frequently diagnosed as delusional parasitosis (DOP, or delusions of parasitosis) or collective hysteria. The most common types of visible physical evidense presented are white crystalline granules, black specks, and the blue, red & white "fibers" under the skin.

The diagnostic criteria for DOP includes the presenting of lintballs and scabs by a patient. However, the majority of the physical evidence in the diagnostic criteria are composed of more obvious objects such as insects, insect parts, seeds, etc. These are rarely presented by people with symptoms of Morgellons.

One study points to infestation by Collembola organisms. Current research at the Morgellons Research Foundation, that looked at the molecular level for DNA evidence of Collembola in samples of skin and other shed material from Morgellons patients, did not find Collembola DNA; for these Morgellons patients, symptoms are not from Collembola.

Origin of name

This current condition was named by Mary Leitao of McMurray, PA who has a degree in biology and has worked as a chemist and electron microscope operator, while investigating her son's unexplained rash. She named the condition Morgellons, with a hard g, after a similar condition from the monograph A Letter to a Friend by Sir Thomas Browne, wherein he describes several medical conditions in his experience, including that endemial distemper of children in Languedoc, called the morgellons, wherein they critically break out with harsh hairs on their backs . A 1935 paper by British doctor C.E. Kellett identifies the name morgellons with the Provençal term masclous, or "little flies" .

Symptoms

The symptoms are frequently characterized as rashes or non-healing skin lesions associated with unusual structures that look like granules and filaments, and in particular a burning or itching sensation as if small parasites are crawling on or under the skin. This is usually caused by the sufferer itching or scratching themselves, as is with Delusions of Parasites.

When treated as a fungal infection with topical medications, the symptoms return within days and further use of the antifungal drug is ineffective.

Some sufferers have tested positive for Lyme disease (borreliosis) and most have chronic fatigue syndrome. The states with the highest number of reports include California, Texas, and Florida; many sufferers are teachers and nurses. The reasons for these demographics are unknown.

Some sufferers complain of seeing insects flying in and out of their skin, while others say they have filaments or fibers growing out of their skin. Some of these fibers are microscopic, while others are so large that they can be seen growing with the naked eye.

Many of the symptoms are shared, but there is no one symptom that is shared 100% but this is probably due to some cases that actually are something else such as scabies and DOP.

The actual DOP cases are very difficult to identify among the descriptions of people claiming to have Morgellons because of the similarity in symptoms and behaviors.

Many of the symptoms of this mysterious condition are the same as those of a condition called Delusions of Parasites. This is a serious psychological condition. A sample of the offending "bugs" brought to an entomologists, dermatologist, or physician will only contain bits of lint, dust, or pet hair. People suffering from Morgellons share an affinity for repeatedly trying to prove "something" is on their skin. This is called a "matchbox sign" though matchboxes are very rarely used as containers for the debris, and it is usually in tape or perscription pill bottles.

Controversy and research efforts

Dr. William Harvey of Houston, Texas champions the disease as real but few medical professionals agree with him. Many medical professionals dismiss fibers found on patients as lint.

Dr. George Schwartz of Santa Fe, New Mexico believes the cause is the bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia In his booklet "Lisa's Disease, A Fiber Disease", he has established four stages to this condition. Stage four places body organs in jeopardy. This disease is, according to Dr. Schwartz's booklet (currently the only one in existance, though just a compilation of previous literature), a serious, systemic threat. Therefore, he has been willing to conference with patients' doctors and advise them of the protocol he believes will be effective in arresting the symptoms if maintained as longterm antibiotic therapy. To add more controvery to this mystery disease and treatment delemma, it is to be noted that Dr. Schwartz is now involved in a controvery himself regarding perscriptions for addictive drugs and painkillers and he is in jeopardy of his ability to prescribe medications and he is expecting to lose his medical license.


The Morgellons Foundation was created in 2002 by the mother of a child suffering from the condition, and has publicized the lack of research and the lack of doctors' recognizing a disease and how widespread (and therefore) how serious it really is. If the evidence of current studies proves to be valid, Morgellons disease could be found to be the underlying cause of many other diseases ranging from hearing loss to organ failure. There have been suicides related to the disease that current research indicates are due to the overwhelming lack of care and rejection from the many doctors sufferers go to for help, as most doctors recognize the condition as delusions of parasites which is unacceptable to the sufferer and likely indicative of a delusion.

Randy S. Wymore, Ph.D., of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, OK, USA is the current Director of Research at the Morgellons Research Foundation (since spring of 2005). Dr. Wymore is examining the fibers, scabs and other samples from Morgellons patients. To date, the OSU preliminary research suggests that the fibers are not merely textile contaminants and that the scabs have qualitative differences from the scabs of unaffected individuals.

The Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine has assumed a leadership role in Morgellons research. Dr. Wymore believes that in 2006 formal studies with Morgellons patients will begin. The Morgellons Research Foundation has recently published a Case Definition for physicians. One of Dr. Wymore's goals is to identify concrete diagnostic criteria.

Often sufferers of Morgellons assert that "no one is willing to help" when in fact several physicians, dermatologists, psychologists, entomologists, parasitologists, and pest management professionals have treated them kindly and made efforts to help and try to encourage sufferers to seek psychological assistance. This is held as "rejection" by people with Morgellons.

Many psychiatrists and psychologists feel that the condition of "Morgellons" and the way to which people with DOP cling to the condition is indicative of the delusion.

Collembola study

A study from 2000 published in the Journal of the New York Entomological Society co-sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the National Pediculosis Association found 18 of 20 patients self-reporting symptoms of the Morgellons to have infestations by a minute species of insect-like hexapod known as collembola, or springtails . Studied patients had, in their skin scrapings, collembola eggs often no larger than 100 micrometres or juvenile collembola no larger than 300 micrometres. Though many have attempted to replicate these results, it has yet to be done.

Collembola study reaction

Controversy surrounds the Collembola study. Entomologists, phsyicians, and many others in bug or skin-related professions find the results of the study absurd as the collembolans allegedly identified have no biting mouthparts or burrowing abilities and would be impossible to find in one's skin. Furthermore, the methods and images of the study are generally disregarded as showing any evidence of collembolans.

Most notably, renowned entomologist Dr. May Berenbaum (professor and head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois) described the images as "difficult to discern." She likened the study to finding the face of the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich on Ebay. Dr. Berenbaum is a leading entomologist and an expert in collembola, and she, as well as her colleagues, find great fault in the collembola study.

External links

Visit: MorgellonsUSA http://www.morgellonsusa.com In order to view 6 pages of vivid Photographic Images from a sufferer in San Diego, CA.

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