Criteria for Photographing Morgellons Disease

Morgellons found to be skin condition associated with Lyme bacteria. Possible genetic predisposition. Incidence is roughly 6% of Lyme patients. This article discusses how to photograph Morgellons.

Figure 1

Wow! When people began sending me articles from Substack about Morgellons, I initially thought it could be beneficial for the community. However, as I started reading them, it became clear that finding credible scientific information about Morgellons on this platform was challenging, if not impossible. That's when I made the decision to set the record straight.

There are two rules of thumb regarding the characterization of Morgellons. First, Morgellons fibers are smaller than strands of human hair by many times. Because of this, patients wanting to demonstrate Morgellons should start with a 60x-240x magnification handheld USB microscope. Figure 1 was taken with a 240x handheld microscope using a cell phone camera. The balancing act was challenging but not insurmountable.

Instead however, I recently found this incredible Bysameyee microscope that I’m eager to try out. It’s affordable($32 at the time of this writing), high powered, but also high resolution - which is vital for not showing grainy images.

Bysameyee 4K WiFi Digital Microscope, 50-1000X USB Handheld Microscope Camera Magnifier, Phone Wireless Microscope Inspection Endoscope Compatible for iPhone Android Phone Windows Mac PC

Second, the microscopic fibers must be clearly embedded within the various layers of skin tissue. You’ll hear numerous people claiming that Morgellons fibers are moving and then they’ll pan the camera over to a strand of their hair they’re holding in the air. Besides being too large, they are also not embedded in skin tissue. Thus, they cannot be considered Morgellons.

Figure 2

Figure 2 at 120x represents both criteria. The fibers in this image are clearly embedded in the skin tissue, seemingly threaded inside and out of it. These fibers are clearly much smaller than the strands of human hair beside it, and it is also partially blue - which is not a naturally occurring color for human hair.

Morgellons Photographic Criteria

1. 60x or greater magnification

2. Clearly embedded in skin tissue

Figure 3 at 240x below demonstrates more clearly that the fibers are embedded deep within the tissue layers of the skin. Some Morgellons patients have even been accused of injecting these microscopic fibers directly inside their own skin (source).

Figure 3

In these scenarios it becomes important to the patient to find evidence of filament disease, if they have not already done so, by magnification of itchy skin or evident dermopathy. Examination with a high power magnification of at least 60x is essential in the search for the presence of filaments under unbroken skin1–3. It is important not to fall into the trap of mistaking cotton and synthetic filaments for Morgellons filaments (the latter are typically smaller) and anyone familiar with a dermoscope knows all too well that the former are frequently seen loose on the skin or adhered to a damaged or ulcerated surface. https://f1000research.com/articles/2-118

Knowing what the criteria is for Morgellons based on numerous scientific studies, it’s vital also to understand what else those research papers say about the skin condition.

Preliminary genetic studies have demonstrated nine genes with significant sequence variation in MD patients (E Sapi, University of New Haven, unpublished observation, 2017). Examination of genetic factors that contribute to MD is currently in progress. History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition - PMC (nih.gov)

Dr. Stricker says that in multiple studies, tissues taken from Morgellons patients consistently show infection with various kinds of Borrelia spirochetes—mainly Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that’s present in Lyme disease. “As many as 98% of Morgellons patients have evidence of Lyme disease and/or an associated tick-borne infection,” says Dr. Stricker. In fact, Morgellons sufferers commonly experience joint pain, fatigue, and neuropathy, all known symptoms of Lyme disease. Most Lyme sufferers, however, never develop Morgellons: two studies have put that figure at only about 6%.

Morgellons Found to Be Closely Linked With Lyme Disease (contagionlive.com)