IMAGE: Fibrous specimen from skin lesion
The symptoms are consistent - skin lesions that do not heal, a stinging, crawling skin sensation, fibers of foreign material on or under the skin, mental confusion, memory loss, joint pain, among other ailments.
Medical detectives say they have no idea what is causing the illness called Morgellons illness.
Some have even questioned whether its symptoms are real or delusional. But with thousands afflicted world-wide, the CDC will launch an 18-month investigation among patients in northern California with help from the Armed Forces Pathology Institute and Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Michele Pearson, lead CDC investigator in the study, tells Reuters, “What I can tell you is real is the suffering that these patients are experiencing," Pearson said. "I cannot characterize this as a syndrome, as a disease. I can tell you it's an unexplained illness."
Morgellons Research Foundation is based in Pittsburgh. Executive director, Mary Leitao believes the condition is an infectious disease.
The group says more than 11,000 families around the world with at least one person inflicted have the condition. It’s been tracking incidents since 2002. On its Web site the foundation has stories from people who have suffered with this undiagnosed condition.
Leitano, a biologist named the disease after her 2-year-old son began complaining of “bugs” and sores under his lip. She says they appeared as red, black, blue and white bundles of fibers.
Eight different doctors were unable to explain the symptoms. She chose the name Morgellons disease from a description of an illness in a 1690 letter by Sir Thomas Browne.
Some patients have been "diagnosed with a common medical label, Delusions of Parasitosis (DP), the basic tenet being this is a psychiatric illness with the presumption of a purely delusional 'parasite infestation." #