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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Morgellons: case closed

I thought --  rather unexpectedly --  that a young graduate student working with Dr. Eva Sapi presented some ground-breaking results from her research looking into Morgellons disease. As she first pointed out, the disease is discounted by mainstream medicine and the CDC who call it delusional parasitosis. The mainstream belief in short is that patients with this illness are not physically sick but rather suffer from a psychiatric ailment. The young student (I apologize that I cannot recall her name) said her research delved into the Lyme-Morgellons connection. Essentially "scab" material  obtained from patients suffering with the disease, some of whom were sero-positive for Lyme disease, most of whom were not, was ground up and analyzed via molecular biology techniques looking for the presence of Lyme DNA. In all cases Lyme, B. burdorferi was found to be present. Specifically Bb sensu stricto, the North American version of the disease was present in samples taken from each patient diagnosed with Morgellons disease. In some cases, surprisingly, H. pylori, the bacteria associated with stomach ulcers and other related conditions was also found.

Perhaps of even greater significance was the finding that normal skin flora were essentially absent except for sparse S. epidermitis.

In some corners Morgellons  was already known to be Lyme associated (not previously proved) but connected to some yet undiscovered pathogen(s). The nature of the peculiar fibers has not yet been determined. The absence of other, usual bacteria in the affected skin would seem to indicate that another organism was secreting an antibiotic substance capable of eradicating normal skin bacteria. Another possibility is that another organism, whose DNA is unknown, assumes the niche inhabited by normal skin flora. The molecular techniques used in the study would not uncover fungal/mold or protozoal DNA.

Organisms that produce powerful antibiotics typically belong to the mold family as seen with penicillin. Anecdotally, there is evidence that the disease responds to agents used to kill protozoa, not mold. The mystery remains.

What I think is clear is that Morgellons is linked to Lyme infection in the skin; that is a distinct disease, not another presentation of Lyme like erythema migrans; that it is not a tick-borne co-infection; that although strange and mysterious, is not a disease from outer space as some have suggested; and most importantly, is not a delusion or hallucination on the part of the sufferer and/or treating physician.

One can only hope that these findings will be replicated in other research and put before authorities like the CDC who will then be forced to take this disease seriously, and perhaps Lyme as well (wishful thinking).

So we have one important piece of the puzzle, given to us (or at least me) unexpectedly, in a rather poorly attended seminar, from a young, somewhat diffident (and brilliant) graduate student, while most attendees were in another seminar.

OK -  the case is not closed. But we have a piece of the puzzle. This research will be published in a peer reviewed journal (probably PLOS) and this is very exciting news.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Sorry, Morgellons has nothing to do with Lyme disease.

Unknown said...

Please read the scientific research. It clearly demonstrates the very close association between Morgellons disease and borrelia:

Association of spirochetal infection with Morgellons disease

http://f1000research.com/articles/2-25/v1

Characterization and evolution of dermal filaments from patients with Morgellons disease

http://www.dovepress.com/characterization-and-evolution-of-dermal-filaments-from-patients-with--peer-reviewed-article-CCID

Morgellons: a novel dermatological perspective as the multisystem infective disease borreliosis

http://f1000research.com/articles/2-118/v1

Unknown said...

The Charles E. Holman Morgellons Foundation is dedicated to research of Morgellons so check out our website for updates on Morgellons. The case is far from being closed.

http://www.thecehf.org/morgellons-disease-research.html

Lyme report: Montgomery County, MD said...

What this study seems to make clear is that Morgellons is not just associated with spirochetes, but is specifically associated with Lyme spirochetes

Charles555nc said...

I developed Morgellons from a tick bite in 2005 and am not surprised of the Lyme-Morgellons connection. The sickest thing is that the cdc is helping to spread most diseases by intentionally denying reality like L Philips. Aids was "a gay man's disease". Chronic Fatigue syndrome was "old woman's syndrome". I wonder if big pharma and the cdc help spread diseases so that theres a larger profits for when big pharma finally decides to offer drugs.

Lyme report: Montgomery County, MD said...

I generally prefer to stay away from politics but I will throw in my 2 cents anyway.

The conspiratorial and paranoid thinking that the CDC is an arm of an evil government bent on denying the truth and harming people is crazy and very unproductive.

The party causing the problem is IDSA/mainstream dogma. It is academia.

A very few individuals, those associated with the Wormser, IDSA paradigm are granted a sort of Papal infallibility based on their standing in the medical hierarchy. There are some in the CDC who agree with IDSA approach perhaps for various reasons.

The CDC and government have no agenda here. The mission of the CDC is to perform surveillance and help the country respond to epidemics. The CDC depends on government scientist whom it trusts. If the IDSA changed its tone so would the CDC.

If fact we must applaud the CDC for revising its estimate of the incidence of Lyme disease in the US.

This is a paradigm war. A hot one. Stubborn folks on the other side are incapable of seeing the possibility they might be wrong. This boils down to an issue of cognitive dissonance.

Believe it or not, all sides are motivated by the good and sincerely want to help patients or the populace. But as the saying goes, "The road to Hell is paved with good intensions."

As for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies it is another matter. Here there is no altruism. These mega-corporations are all about profit. If a particular "truth" helps the bottom line then that is the one they will use. If there was agreement as to the truth these corporations would be compelled to go along. I do think that some angry IDSA types have a lot of influence regarding insurance company policy.

If you want to find an enemy, it always goes back to the IDSA. And now the war continues to harden their opposition.

As far as racism and homophobia, those are social issues, not medical ones. Doctors are for the most part impartial here. Whether or not a lot of research dollars go to a particular disease like HIV or breast cancer has a lot to do with politics influenced by opinion on the street. Of course pharmaceutical companies eye profits here. But a lot of research is still funded by the government/NIH.

Researches are pushed to popular areas of research because that is where the funding is.

Frustrated patients and those in the Lyme advocacy community need to come together and formulate uniform policies based on a clearer, rationale understanding of how the system works.



Lyme report: Montgomery County, MD said...

I generally prefer to stay away from politics but I will throw in my 2 cents anyway.

The conspiratorial and paranoid thinking that the CDC is an arm of an evil government bent on denying the truth and harming people is crazy and very unproductive.

The party causing the problem is IDSA/mainstream dogma. It is academia.

A very few individuals, those associated with the Wormser, IDSA paradigm are granted a sort of Papal infallibility based on their standing in the medical hierarchy. There are some in the CDC who agree with IDSA approach perhaps for various reasons.

The CDC and government have no agenda here. The mission of the CDC is to perform surveillance and help the country respond to epidemics. The CDC depends on government scientist whom it trusts. If the IDSA changed its tone so would the CDC.

If fact we must applaud the CDC for revising its estimate of the incidence of Lyme disease in the US.

This is a paradigm war. A hot one. Stubborn folks on the other side are incapable of seeing the possibility they might be wrong. This boils down to an issue of cognitive dissonance.

Believe it or not, all sides are motivated by the good and sincerely want to help patients or the populace. But as the saying goes, "The road to Hell is paved with good intensions."

As for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies it is another matter. Here there is no altruism. These mega-corporations are all about profit. If a particular "truth" helps the bottom line then that is the one they will use. If there was agreement as to the truth these corporations would be compelled to go along. I do think that some angry IDSA types have a lot of influence regarding insurance company policy.

If you want to find an enemy, it always goes back to the IDSA. And now the war continues to harden their opposition.

As far as racism and homophobia, those are social issues, not medical ones. Doctors are for the most part impartial here. Whether or not a lot of research dollars go to a particular disease like HIV or breast cancer has a lot to do with politics influenced by opinion on the street. Of course pharmaceutical companies eye profits here. But a lot of research is still funded by the government/NIH.

Researches are pushed to popular areas of research because that is where the funding is.

Frustrated patients and those in the Lyme advocacy community need to come together and formulate uniform policies based on a clearer, rationale understanding of how the system works.



Unknown said...

I contracted Morgellons through bird mites. Since bird mites are in the same family as ticks it would stand to reason they carry the same diseases as ticks.

I believe based on all the information I have researched that this is definitely linked to Lyme disease.

Anonymous said...

cure Lyme disease and morgellons with organic and amino acids.

http://www.lyme-morgellons.com/

Anonymous said...

The CEHF has established an "association" . The growth of fibers is caused by DNA manipiluation. Only two bacteria can do that, Agrobacterium and Bartonella.

Borrelia has been associated because it is a co-infection that is very common. Half of the worlds population is infected with heliobacter. These are co-infections.

Bartonella is the culprit.

http://www.lyme-morgellons.com/bartonella.html

the proprietor said...

The editor said:
"papal infallibility ... hierarchy ..."

A mouthful!

As I have often thought, IDSA and CDC are the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy 500 years ago.

The state medical boards are basically the Inquisition.
(Or if you are of a different bent, call it the Salem Witch Trials.)
Turns out it's the same crap, just a different century.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately Eva Sapi and the CEHF have been pushing a false narrative for a long time. If you really want to understand Morgellons , which is a transgenic disease and Borrelia is not a transgenic bacteria, then please read this;

http://www.lyme-morgellons.com/morgellons.html

David said...

I have morgellons but we all do i just got lymes disease as well and i have A- blood type i think it has something to do with it and im a targeted individual and i have god like powers

David said...

And I've been in a mind control project and have seen several archon's in my life and I have a high pitch sound in my ears its all related they say I'm delusional but people in high places know about me

David said...

I have morgellons but we all do i just got lymes disease as well and i have A- blood type i think it has something to do with it and im a targeted individual and i have god like powers