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This story seems to come right out of a horror novel. There is a mysterious illness called Morgellons which has created some controversy in medical circles. The CDC just announced it will conduct a study to determine if Morgellons even exists. Since November 2006, the CDC has received about 100 calls a month,from patients, doctors, public health officials and members of Congress asking for more information on this “unexplained skin condition.” It would almost seem like a no brainer that this condition is real, but many dermatologists remain skeptical. Why? Because those who suffer report skin irritation and sores that produce fibers.

Mary Leitao, a former medical researcher, observed fibers coming from the skin of her two year old son. He had lesions and complained about bugs on his body. Leitao took him to several doctors, but was never able to get a conclusive answer regarding the nature of her son’s illness. She launched a website in 2002 to connect with others who experienced similar symptoms, which to date has over 11,000 registered users.

Deanna Odom, a 36 year old mother of two, developed lesions in 2004. She says it felt as if needles were stinging her and then she noticed strange, colored fibers emerging from her skin. “They would almost look like dust fibers, I would put my hands together and my hands would puff off the fibers. Combing my head, you could see the fibers emerging. It’s literally almost out of a sci-fi movie.” Instead of receiving help from the medical community, Odom was diagnosed with dermatitis, stress and depression. One dermatologist diagnosed her with delusional parasitosis.

Jeffrey Meffert, a dermatologist and associate clinical professor at the University of Texas, is a vocal skeptic. He says patients have the mistaken belief that they are infested with parasites. “People with delusional parasitosis are very functional and rational except when it comes to this one issue,” he says. “Many dermatologists would rather these patients never show up, because they don’t feel they have the time to spend. No one knows how to deal with them.”

On the flip side is Randy Wymore, an assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology who has performed extensive testing on the fibers and is “100 percent convinced Morgellons is a real disease.” He has compared samples from thousands of patients to all sorts of textile fibers, hair and dust from clothing, carpets, medical supplies and fishing and hunting supplies. He found no matches. He then took the samples to fiber experts Mark Boese and Ron Pogue, with the Tulsa police. They compared the fibers to 900 known compounds used in textiles, then heated a blue fiber to more than 700 degrees, which darkened but wasn’t destroyed. Boese and Pogue determined the fibers were not fiberglass and did not match anything in their database of 90,000 organic compounds. According to Mark Boese the fibers are “consistent with something that the body may be producing. These fibers cannot be manmade and do not come from a plant. This could be a byproduct of a biological organism.”

The idea that our bodies, so polluted with chemicals and genetically engineered foods, may be evolving inexplicably is intriguing. You could write a story of a person enduring this disease in the extreme. I imagine Stephen King’s character in Creepshow – the hillbilly who is taken over by alien mold in the first vignette. Imagine a character sprouting strings that threaten to strangle them or their loved ones. Or the fibers could be alien invaders, hatching in human hosts. The story ideas are limitless.

More info on Morgellons

The name Morgellons comes from a condition involving “black hairs” emerging from the skin of children which was documented in France in the 1600’s. The condition may also be referred to as ‘fiber disease’ or ‘Elliot’s Disease’.

There is no evidence the fibers are parasites, though many organisms have been found on the skin of individuals with this disease.

Most patients report the stinging, biting, crawling sensations on the skin, along with the fibers, lesions and ‘brain fog’. Patients report neurological, psychiatric, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Researchers have found tangled fibers underneath even healthy, unbroken skin in Morgellons patients.

The term “match box” is used when patients collect skin specimens in a container.

Desperate patients have resorted to extreme home remedies, such as ingestion of pesticides.