Taken at face value, Morgellons Disease is a truly strange thing. It appears to be a skin disease, which manifests as sores and lesions, along with uncomfortable sensations under the skin such as crawling, itching or burning — and strange fibres or wires actually growing out of (or within) the sores. The fibres aren’t just a reassuringly biological white, either; they can also be blue, black, green, or even bright red, rather like electrical wires. Trying to pull them out is said to produce shooting pains. Systemic problems often crop up concurrently, like poor concentration, fibromyalgia, hair loss, and so on; many sufferers have an extremely impaired, painful life. Orthodox dermatological thinking dismisses Morgellons as a combination of delusion, hoaxing and household lint, but the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC) has been puzzled enough to start a serious investigation.
Morgellons was first openly discussed in 2002, when former hospital lab technician Mary Leitao observed the condition in her young son. When the child developed sores and started complaining of bugs under his skin, she examined a lip-sore of his with a home microscope and saw white, blue, black and fibres in the wound. She took her son to a number of doctors, and succeeded only in getting her own medical file marked with the psychiatric disorder Munchausen’s Disease By Proxy, implying she was inventing her son’s distress to gain attention. Unimpressed, she took the name ‘Morgellons’ from a 17th century French ailment which involved odd black hair-like fibres growing out of childrens’ back, and set up a research foundation, the MRF, to investigate.
(images via the Washington Post)
The CDC first became involved in June 2006, saying that they were not prepared to commit to there being a disease, but there was concern. By August of the same year, their Morgellons task force had 12 people on it. This became a fully-funded study in 2007, and in 2008, the CDC brought the American Academy of Dermatology and the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology on board to help conduct immediate research. The first stage of the investigation, examining sufferers and collecting specimens, was completed by the start of 2009, and the CDC is now analysing samples and trying to find some answers of some sort. Independent tests funded by the MRF have suggested that the fibres could be cellulose strands with a metal component, and have failed to find any sensible match for them, but the CDC’s research should have deeper pockets.
(Photograph from the lab of Vitaly Citovsky / SUNY at Stony Brook via the Washington Post)
In the mean time, there are a wide range of fringe theories regarding the disease. Nanotechnologists have suggested that it is caused by rogue nanotech fibre spinners, perhaps the result of military fibre-optic nano-assemblers escaping into the wild. Others have suggested alien origins, or mutant worm parasites, or secret government bio-weapons, or chem-trails, or that the whole thing is entirely imaginary. One Morgellons researcher has even claimed to find tiny traces of the disease in every single person he has examined, suggesting that immune problems can allow these traces to blossom into the full-blown disease. It’s true that many Morgellons sufferers do also suffer from Lyme’s disease, a tick-borne ailment that can settle into the system for good, causing a wide range of debilitating problems. Personally, the futurist in me would like to imagine that it was a mutant nanovirus, in which case maybe a good, strong electro-magnetic pulse could cure the sufferer.
Whatever’s going on though, it’s certainly a very peculiar problem. I look forward to hearing what the CDC have to say. What are your thoughts?
I think it sounds creepy and kinda like fiction,… and i really really hope i never experiance it!!
Ick, but I’m inclined to go with the delusional interpretation until evidence is actually forthcoming.
Shirley, I’m right there with you. It is creepy, and definitely something to avoid. Grim, I know what you mean; it’ll be fascinating to see what the CDC say. In the mean time, I’m not really forming an opinion either way. I’m not comfy with the delusion idea — those sores are very real — but I’m not comfy with any other theories either. I’m still hoping for rogue sci-fi Nanotech, of course :)
I remember when I first heard about this, I wondered whether it might have anything to do with that melamine that was found in dog food several months ago.
I heard that melamine was, in at least one nation which provides much of our food, used to raise the protein content of various foods, including feed for animals that produce meat, eggs and milk. This had been taking place for so long, that it was very likely to be found now in almost all of the food which was exported from that country.
I’ve heard some have linked it agrobacteria plasmids introduced in genetically modified plants and crops and as far as my knowledge goes, this is the most viable theory. These were thought not to be able to cross over into animal tissue but apparently have. It is also associeted with lyme disease and people who have been involved with soil, like farm workers. Health care professionals and teachers are also higher risk groups. The locals where reports of cases are highest, are California(Los Angeles, and the bay area) Florida and Texas. The reason it is more highly consentrated in those areas is still a mystery to me but may provide some clues as to what has actually happened. All the above information I’ve gleened from internet sources and should be verified.
Interesting, thanks Mark. The CDC are currently investigating, and I’m subscribed to their updates on the matter, but so far, no news there.
Morgellons disease is a much-debated condition. Doctors often think patients are faking or hallucinating because the illness is not listed in their reference books. It is purely self-diagnosed when people match their symptoms to the descriptions of other Morgellons sufferers. However, this could be starting to change. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, is studying self-reported Morgellons patients in Northern California, one of the more concentrated patient areas. They are attempting to determine the causes of the condition, its symptoms, and effective treatments in an attempt to get the Morgellons disease conquered once and for all.
Patients with this horrible condition suffer from painful and itchy open sores with strange fibers protruding from them. These fibers are most often white or black, but have been reported as green, blue, black, and red. Some even glow fluorescently. Besides these unusual fibers, the other very distinctive characteristic is a sensation of tiny animals or worms crawling, biting, stinging, and scratching inside the skin. Patients also report additional symptoms, like joint and muscle pain, fatigue, memory loss, lack of mental clarity, changes in vision, and behavioral disorders, such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and psychosis. It is claimed that some patients have found help from supplements, though most doctors would start by trying antibiotics. Antibiotics never work.
Doctors often misdiagnose Morgellons as Delusional Parasitosis. Patients are frustrated and even more discouraged as doctors disregard their symptoms. Suffering with these symptoms, patients are often ostracized. This social rejection along with the suffering can cause them to become depressed and even suicidal, just like 30 years ago when people presented with AIDS and HIV. When offered a chance to have their Morgellons disease conquered, they will jump at it. Though many solutions have been tried, often patients feel even more disheartened as doctor after doctor does not understand and prescriptions do no good.
Though the disease is not understood, it is recorded as early as the 1600’s and was quite common in some areas of France in the 1700’s. Primarily considered a disease of children and women then, today it can occur in men, women, children, and even pets. Morgellons is an infectious condition, and whole families contract it. The Morgellons Research Foundation has over 14,000 self-reporting families with Morgellons in the United States. They are working toward understanding Morgellons Disease.