The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today that it is launching a study to learn about an unexplained condition that causes people to feel as if they have foreign substances growing from their bodies.
People with the condition, referred to as Morgellons disease, say they have fibers and other inorganic material growing out of their skin.
“We earnestly want to learn more about this unexplained illness, which affects the lives of those who suffer from it,” said Dr. Michele Pearson, principal investigator leading the study for the CDC, in a press release. “Those who suffer have questions, and we want to help them.”
“We have a team of epidemiologists, laboratorians and pathologists to carry out the study,” Pearson said.
The study will be conducted in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research. For more information, CLICK HERE to visit the CDC’s Unexplained Dermopathy Web site.
In 2006, a number of Morgellons sufferers told ABC News in interviews that when they consulted doctors, they received diagnoses they called wrong or dismissive. Brandi Koch, the wife of former Major League Baseball player Billy Koch, said that she felt as if she were living in a horror movie, claiming she had colored fibers coming out of her skin.
Koch, of Clearwater Beach, Fla., said that her life was good until one day in the shower when she noticed something strange — tiny fibers running through her skin.
“The fibers look like hair, and they’re different colors,” Koch said.
Koch said she knows that what she experienced “sounds crazy,” but it’s true. “If I had a family member call me up and say, ‘I have this stuff,’ I’d say, ‘I’m sending a straitjacket over. You need some help,’” she said.
Anne Dill described a similar condition. Looking at Dill’s life in Florida, she seemed to be living the American dream — her three daughters excelled in sports and were straight-A students.
But life in the Dill household was far from idyllic. Anne’s 40-year-old husband, Tom, died in January 2006, and she believes his death was due to a contagious illness that has infected her entire family.
Dill described her family’s skin: “There’s this fibrous material. It’s in layers.” Dill said the skin on their hands was particularly bad, very swollen and itchy, and said it felt as if bugs were crawling underneath the skin.
Consulting Doctors
Dr. Greg Smith of Gainesville, Ga., has been a pediatrician for the past 30 years. He claimed that a fiber was coming out of his big toe, and he had video footage to prove it.
“It felt like somebody stuck a pin in my toe and wiggled it, and it just continued to hurt,” Smith told ABC News in 2006.
He said he never thought he had bugs. “I’ve certainly had those crawling sensations, and the fibers which come out of the skin are really bizarre, and really odd.”
Smith was handed over to a hospital psychiatrist when he went to the emergency room complaining of a fiber in his eye. He admits that he, too, would be skeptical if a patient came to him with the same story.
“I would wonder if they’d taken their medicine that day. It makes no sense. It’s totally bizarre. It’s something that — just telling the story is so outlandish on the face of it — that no one would believe it,” Smith said. Dill’s doctor told her to stop scratching, even though many of her sores were in places she could not reach.
Koch went to the Mayo Clinic, where doctors didn’t believe that the fibers she’d brought them had grown from her body.
“I saw the infectious disease doctor, and I showed him some samples that I had and he snickered,” she said. “I can’t go through another doctor blowing me off or looking at me like I’m crazy. I know I’m not.”
Dr. Vincent DeLeo, chief of dermatology at New York’s St. Lukes-Roosevelt Medical Center, weighed in on what he’d say to someone who came to him with this condition. “I don’t think this is any different than many patients I’ve seen who have excoriations and believe that there is something in their skin causing this,” he told ABC News in 2006.
DeLeo said the open lesions were most likely a result of scratching the skin.
Relying on Your Own Research
But biologist Mary Leitao refused to accept the medical skepticism surrounding Morgellons.
Leitao’s son, Drew, was just 2 years old when Leitao noticed an odd sore on his lip that would not heal.
“He very simply said ‘bugs,’ and he pointed to his lips,” said Leitao.
Leitao never expected to find herself at the center of a medical storm. But when her son complained about the strange sore, the biologist, who once ran the electron microscope at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, did what any scientist would do. She took a closer look.
“What I saw were bundles of fibers, *** of fibers,” Leitao says. “There was red and blue.” Even stranger, they glowed under ultraviolet light.
Armed with research, Leitao took her son to a doctor at one of the country’s leading hospitals. He dismissed her tale of fibers and wrote to her pediatrician, saying that her son needed Vaseline for his lips and that his mother needed a thorough psychiatric evaluation.
Undaunted, Leitao began poring through medical literature looking for clues. What she discovered was a 17th-century reference to a strange disease with “harsh hairs” called “Morgellons.”
She named the strange fibers Morgellons disease and put the information on a Web site, Morgellons.org. At the time of her interview in 2006, more than 4,500 people had contacted Leitao, claiming they had Morgellons-type symptoms. The name stuck, and the disease was featured on the television show “ER.”
But do these fibers grow from inside the body, as Morgellons patients believe, or do they come from the external environment — a kind of lint — as the medical skeptics say?
Searching for an Answer
Forensic scientist Ron Pogue at the Tulsa Police Crime Lab in Oklahoma checked a Morgellons sample against known fibers in the FBI’s national database. “No, no match at all. So this is some strange stuff,” Pogue said in 2006. He thought the skeptics were wrong. “This isn’t lint. This is not a commercial fiber. It’s not.”
The lab’s director, Mark Boese, said the fibers are “consistent with something that the body may be producing.” He added that, “These fibers cannot be manmade and do not come from a plant. This could be a byproduct of a biological organism.”
Dill said she looks at pictures of her family and finds them unrecognizable. “My kids have to see not only their dad but their mom disintegrating, and that’s gotta be really scary.”
While they wait for evidence that they hope will convince the medical community to take them seriously, some Morgellon’s sufferers wear pink bracelets that say, simply, “Fortitude.”
Here are some pictures of Morgellons Disease
Image sequence 1 of Morgellons patient. Note the ink outline
Image sequence 2 of Morgellons patient. Closer view of outline area.
Image sequence 3 of Morgellons patient. Zooming in on outline area.
Image sequence 4 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 2x.
Image sequence 5 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 4x.
Image sequence 6 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 10x – note ink line at right.
Image sequence 7 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 60x – note ink line still present.
Image sequence 8 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 60x.
Image sequence 9 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 60x – note hair in foreground.
Image sequence 10 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 80x.
Image sequence 11 of Morgellons patient. Outline area magnified 200x.
Lip of 3-year-old male at 10x showing fibers embedded in skin.
Fibers removed from same lip lesions shown at 60x.
Image showing autofluorescence of fibers from child’s lip skin lesion.
Heel of 3-year-old male at 10x showing lesions with associated fibers.
Same heel lesions on 3-year-old male showing fibers at 60x.
Same heel lesions on 3-year-old male showing fibers at 60x.
Hope you enjoyed the story and pictures of Morgellons Disease
Ok, back in the winter of ’09 this scaley/rash like thing appeared on my chin. I was stationed in Northern Japan (Military). It was small at first. I thought I nicked myself shaving, but overtime it got bigger and bigger. I thought it was some form of acne or dry skin after I ruled out rash. There were little hairs in it, but i thought they were fibers from my pillow or towel, so I didn’t give it a second thought. Yeah, the growing in size was worrying, but being in the military you have bigger fish to fry before getting a “rash” looked at. It did spread to my foot, but I thought that was atheletes foot because it burned and itched like crazy! I never went to a doctor for this because I thought it was just something common. I started applying athlete’s foot cream to my foot and keeping it dry, and it got better. I also started applying lotion to my chin and keeping it clean.
When spring of ’10 hit it was still there, but my foot problem had almost fully cleared up. I started getting out of the dorm more, and exploring Japan with my comrades alot more. Amazingly my chin started to get alot better. Summer arrived and I was in the sun alot more. It never really healed all the way, but it didn’t get worse during the summer. When fall hit, and it started getting cooler (30-40 degrees) it got worse. When winter hit it was happening all over again. I was given orders to change station back to the United States in December of ’10.
When I returned to the U.S. I still had the problem until about Februrary of ’11. It just amazingly went away. I don’t know how or why, it just did, but I believe it has to do with the amount of sunlight we recieve and climate we live in. I haven’t had this problem since then, and it has almost been a full year since I had the problem.
I don’t have a dog and my cat is fine, so I do not think animals are the source. I suspect they are environmental and may be contained within a small area of the home. If contagious, someone with whom there has been close physical contact, but who has not visited the residence may provide a clue. May also be a genetic componet. Ever hear of gene-therapy? May be nano tech with a genetic target. Not as far fetched as I once thought.
Hi i am a master herbalist and RN ,with a friend who has this disease , she has suffered horribly with it, i was determined to help her , I have made a cream which has changed her life, she is “healing” ,the itching has subsided, the sores on her body are almost healed ! so i went further and made an ointment as well as a soap we are both excited about this i have prayed long and hard for a recipe that would help and ive found it !!!! with any questions my email is nursy14@gmail.com
The way you stop this from spreading, is remove the depopulation programs by cia international research departments and using secret men’s clubs, freemason, elks, rotary, etc… to assist the abuse by mental illness fraud and embezzlements.
There are two ways to murder someone.
1. murder their natural lives and use them for discrediting and experimentation abuse
2. murder that eventually occurs due to the death of the constant death of the human selected by these cia researchers.
This disease may be coming from dogs and cats.
I suffered from something very similar to this for fifteen years! Many visits to dermatologists, biopsies, scrapings, etc. with no clear diagnosis. One doctor told me the lesions were from scratching. He paid no attention when I said that if I didn’t itch so terribly, I wouldn’t scratch- if he could find out what made me itch so bad, I wouldn’t scratch! Then in 2009 at age 58 I had a heart attack and five bypasses. I was thin, healthy, active, strong. Other than having to wear long-sleeved shirts even in July, I wasn’t depressed about a thing. In October 2010 I suddenly had no more itching, no more sores, and after 15 years – it all stopped!! Only two things had been changed at that time: 1) My cholesterol was 238 and I was started on Crestor. 2) On my own, I started taking 2,000mg a day of vitamin C, and 5,000 IU a day of vitamin D.
FIFTEEN YEARS of constant itching, sores, and thousands of dollars in “cures.” Was it a coincidence that it suddenly stopped with Crestor and vitamins C and D? I’ll never know. I was telling the truth all along: I don’t scratch unless I itch intensely! Now I’m covered from neck to toes with white scars as a daily reminder of that hell, but still feel so very blessed that it’s GONE.
P/S Two other things that changed: I haven’t had a cigarette since the day of the heart attack; and I no longer tub bathe, only take showers.
and as far as it not being contagious why else would my children have this as well????
ours seems a completly different disease then. i get sores. fibers just come out on their own. i can bathe in pine sol and just watch the fibers and black specks and algae looking gel come out of my skin. my son has fibers under his arms neck and between his toes and fingers all the time he is 2 months. my 2 yr old has no sores but has the fibers and black specks as well. i got ahold of Bert with the Morgone gel and used it and it worked wonders on getting fibers out . but my internal problems are what im worried about the most. my cholesterol and my liver enzymes are a mess. i have tried everything. to get rid of this. nothing is working the more i clean the more comes out. and i just see the white fibers floating around the house all the time. im not saying its incurable. whats outside is cureable but whats inside is what scares me the most.especially when it comes to my kids.
Christina-I do not believe that what I have is contagious. Nor do I believe it is incurable. Please read my post.
I have photos of my legs and foot but they will not post here. Please send a central email to me at address above and I will email the file. Photos of foot and leg. Lesions itch intensely with scaling skin with dark specks. When â??specksâ?? removed they have the appearance of hair follicles. Foot secretes gel like substance and skin peels. Foot itches intensely and frequently wakes me during sleep.
Photo # 1: Right Foot:
Photo #2 of â??specksâ?? that when removed resemble hair follicles/fibers. I removed these follicles/fibers from my legs and foot. Photo also shows peeling skin and scabs removed from foot:
Photo # 3 is same sample as photo #2 but with a different exposure.
Note similarity of these follicles/fibers to those of Morgellons patients whose fibers were photographed and identified by researchers as High Density Polyethylene Fiber (HDPE) manufactured with nano technology.
Photo # 4 of left leg. Note lesion where scab was removed revealing hair-like follicle/fiber in center of wound.
Lesions/wounds would not heal until hair-like follicles/fibers were removed. Fibers were frequently tenacious and removal was often extremely difficult.
Photo # 5 of same leg/area about one month later:
Letâ??s be honest: we all sound crazy when we talk about fibers growing in our bodies. â??Chemtrailsâ?? as one possible source (etiology) of these fibers sounded especially extreme-that is until I dug deeper into the literature. They donâ??t sound so crazy to me now.
Like many of you, I wonâ??t go to another doctor. Here is whyâ?¦ I developed Norwegian (crusted) scabies even though I am at very low risk for such an infestation. I do not have an immune deficiency. While being treated for scabies, I saw a different doctor than my primary physician and without a focused exam, he diagnosed me with Delusions of Parasitosis. The doctor never even looked for scabies and he did not do skin scrapings or a microscopic exam to r/o (rule out) scabies. Fortunately, I have a masters in nursing and I was aware that the doctor did not perform the correct tests. Possibly, that knowledge saved me.
I was thrown into a psych hospital under a TDO (temporary detention order). I can laugh about this now, but I wasnâ??t laughing then. Scary does not begin to describe what I was feelingâ?¦ Fortunately, I had an excellent psychiatrist. I told him that the doctor did not examine me closely enough to diagnose scabies nor did he do skin scrapings/microscopy to identify eggs/mites. The psychiatrist was shocked that a physician would diagnose me with Parasitosis without the appropriate tests. He did not think I was crazy and neither did the appointed psychologist. My court appointed attorney argued before a judge that I did not meet psychiatric commitment criteria and the judge ordered me to be released.
No, I wonâ??t be asking any doctor for a second opinion on my condition. Not since being arrested, placed in handcuffs, leg irons, etc. and placed on a locked psych ward. I met some very fun and sane people, but Iâ??ll pass on a second visit.
Eventually, it became obvious to me that I was dealing with something other than scabies; something that wasnâ??t in my dermatology textbook (published about ten years ago). I had not even heard of Morgellons until I searched the internet looking for dermatology photographs that resembled my own condition. I canâ??t say for sure that I have Morgellons, but the photos are similar. Family has even remarked that my wounds looked like Morgellons lesions and they taped a TV show to show me. The description/history fits mine minus the â??chemtrailsâ??.
This is where I may start to sound crazy to many of you, but I believe my derm (skin) condition was given to me intentionally. I cannot say who did such a thing, but I did become a target under the Bush Administration and all sorts of terrible things happened to me. For example, Predator drones and fighter jets were used to harass me and in possible assassination attempts. (Yes, of course I have photos and video! Do you think I would be so dumb as to make such a claim without evidence? Go to you- know- where- tube and enter the keywords: predator drones home video 911 remembers.
I have made complaints to the FBI and as far as I know, they have never investigated a single complaint. I told them I had videotapes of a military jet and drones as well as other evidence, but I have yet to hear back from them. My first call to the FBI was in July 2007, when I feared that a predator drone strike on my home was imminent. The FBI hung up on me! No, I do not live near a USA border or near a military/sensitive area.
Enough of that. Back to my derm condition and what has helped me. I certainly cannot guarantee it will help anyone out there who reads this, but I know how horrible it is to have a derm problem that wonâ??t go away, and the loneliness and embarrassment that can accompany this disorder. Not to mention the endless nights spent scratching the blood out of my wounds during my sleep.
It is important to have good hand washing before and after wound care with special attention under fingernails and to be careful not to allow others to have contact with your blood, tissue or secretions. I do not advocate avoiding an expertâ??s (dermatologistâ??s) opinion, since many conditions are treatable, but I do understandâ?¦
The following has helped me. However, for legal and ethical reasons, I certainly cannot recommend anything. There are always risks involved when dealing with the skin, especially if there is an undiagnosed infection, diabetes or impaired wound healing or impaired circulation. Scarring, infection and very serious consequences, including death, are possible, so I will not recommend anything. But, you might wish to discuss with your private physician whether any of the following would be contraindicated in your situation.
Through much trial and error, I have made progress. Progress is slow but noticeable. I will give the brand names of the things that worked best for me since trying out so many things got to be very expensive. I have no financial interests in any of the items I mention.
My experience:
First, I stopped shaving the affected areas.
Many wounds were hidden beneath scales and at first, the scales were nearly impossible to remove. Sometimes, when the itching on my legs and feet was intense, I would use Clinique Body Exfoliating Cream (â??Sparkle Skinâ??) to help remove the less difficult scales. Mainly, the Clinique worked on the â??normalâ?? areas, but it did help the itching.
To remove or soften the scales, I applied â??Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser, Oil Freeâ?? to affected scale-covered skin. Sometimes, I left it on for hours and then scrubbed it off in the shower with Scotch Brite Stay Clean Scrubbers (or my nails). Luffas were useless. Neutrogena works well to soften the scales so they can be removed. Sometimes, I would only leave the Neutrogena on for a few minutes and then I could scrape off the scales. Wounds were sometimes visible on the surface, but frequently small wounds were hidden beneath the scales.
Some wounds were covered with a black scab, which appeared to be something other than the normal healing process. I removed the scabs and using excellent lighting I examined the area. By excellent lighting, I mean a pharmacy lamp with a 100 watt bulb, plus a clip on lamp with a 60 watt halogen bulb, attached to a plastic step-stool. At first, I removed the skin, scales, and scab, but the wounds always returned. Then, I stared removing the hair follicles/fibers present in the wound or around the wound edges. Sounds simple but it is not. (Obviously this is a risk for infection.)
Frequently, I could not see any follicles/fibers until I removed the scales, gel and scab, working on one area at a time. Invariably, the fibers were nearly always present, but sometimes ran horizontally in the skin and were very difficult to grasp. I tried about ten different tweezer brands and styles and settled on the two that worked the best for me. One was made by Tweezerman (3.5 inches long) and had a slant tip for â??expertâ?? gripping. It wasnâ??t cheap and I have been through several already. Only once did I get a bum pair. The second tweezer is made by Revlon and has a very pointed tip, almost needle thin at the end. The last one I use less frequently, but is particularly good for the very small fibers present in the toes. Aluminum foil is placed on a table to contain infectious material and help keep the surface beneath clean and dry. Makes for a quick clean up.
Initially, I used Dakins Solution full strength which I then diluted with water using equal amounts of each. I applied the solution to some of my wounds to help prevent/control infection. I no longer use the Dakins since my wounds are small and not infected.
Removing the follicles/fibers (hereafter just referred to as fibers) is an art. Too much force and they break. The Neutrogena helped the fiber release smoothly so it could be removed with tweezers. Sometimes when the fiber would not release (pull out), I added a small amount of Neutrogena (if needed) and had to rotate the direction of pull. There was no logic in the way the fiber came out: sometimes a left direction worked, sometimes a right pull, sometimes straight and horizontal to skin and other times a backward pull direction. I would apply a slight pull to the fiber and if it did not release, I would gently rotate the direction of pull 360 degrees if necessary, until I could feel the fiber releasing. Tweezers had to be cleaned with the alcohol swabs frequently since any scales/skin on tweezers prevented a tight grip on the fiber.
My foot was the only area where gel was present and the gel accumulated quickly after the area was cleaned. Locating the fibers beneath the gel was difficult, but once removed, the foot area did not secrete gel any longer. These fibers are so fine and small, light has to be angled from different directions/angles to help locate fibers. Even when located, they are sometimes impossible to remove. I am still working on finding a better way to remove the fibers from this area.
Summary
Apply Neutrogena to affected skin
Later shower and scrub scales with Scotch Brite. Do not use regular soap on affected areas due to soap residue
After shower, wash hands, nails, and wipe tweezers with alcohol swabs. Place tools on foil covered surface
Remove scabs with tweezers and locate fibers
Remove fibers with tweezers and safely dispose of fibers/scabs, etc. on cotton pads
On completion, clean tools, wash hands and skin with residue free soap (shampoo usually works) to remove blood/debris
If anyone gets physician/health care provider okay to proceed, please post a comment to let me know how it worked. Donâ??t give up hope. Together, we can beat this bio-technological (in my opinion) disease. I canâ??t help but wonder if we have more in common than Morgellons. Maybe, a clearer picture will emerge if we share personal information such as age range, race, state, political party, etc.
I am a white, divorced, heterosexual, over forty female and considered socially liberal. I live in the mid-Atlantic area. If not for my TDO, I would be more specific as to my location, but one psych visit was enough for me. I was also a vocal critic of the Bush Administration and the â??Patriot Actâ??. Oh, and a member of the ACLU.
You are in my prayers.
â??
My Tools/Supplies:
Tweezerman (3.5 inches long) and with slant tip (Available at Target, about $21.00)
Revlon all metal tweezers with very pointed tip (Available at Target)
Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream cleanser, oil free (Available at Target)
BD alcohol swabs, box of 100. (Available at Target by special order) CVS brand is not as good but works in a pinch. I do not recommend Target brand because the swab dries too quickly.
Dakins Solution full strength which is a 0.50% solution (Available at pharmacy, may be special order)
Cotton makeup removal pads
Aluminum foil
Pharmacy Lamp with 100 watt capability
Clip on lamp with 60 watt Halogen bulb (available at Lowes)
(Caution with pets or children since lamps get very hot and can cause burns.)
Step stool
Scotch Brite Stay Clean Scrubbers (plastic with purple color) (Available grocery store, Target)
Optional: Clinique Body Exfoliating Cream (â??Sparkle Skinâ??) in 8.5 ounce tub. Available at fine department stores
well i found about Morgellons like everyone else. thinking it was something else and asking about blue and black fibers coming out of the skin on the internet only for this uncurable disease to pop out at me like a demon. I have a 2 month old newborn and a 2 yr old and im scared to death they are going to catch this. The fibers and sores have mostly accumulated around my breast/areola area. im assuming because im still producing milk because i just gave birth a few months ago and they are feeding on the supply. but i have alot of fibers on my legs. im scared to shave my legs sometimes because everytime i do i see more and more of the fibers under my skin which look like vericose veins. i am 31 and always healthy. now i have high cholesterol in the 600′s . im always tired. i never want to do anything and im scratching up a storm constantly. someone needs to find a cure for this now before it kills off half the population especially if this is contagious. someone please help im scared for my childrens sake more than mine.