title: Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis.
abstract: Morgellons disease (MD) is a dermopathy characterized by multicolored filaments that lie under, are embedded in, or project from skin. Although MD was initially considered to be a delusional disorder, recent studies have demonstrated that the dermopathy is associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are composed of keratin and collagen, and that they result from proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in epithelial tissue. Culture, histopathological and molecular evidence of spirochetal infection associated with MD has been presented in several published studies using a variety of techniques. Spirochetes genetically identified asBorrelia burgdorferisensu stricto predominate as the infective agent in most of the Morgellons skin specimens studied so far. Other species ofBorreliaincludingBorrelia garinii,Borrelia miyamotoi, andBorrelia hermsiihave also been detected in skin specimens taken from MD patients. The optimal treatment for MD remains to be determined.
authors: International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors: Marianne J
authors: MJ
authors: Middelveen
authors: International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors: Raphael B
authors: RB
authors: Stricker
keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi; Lyme disease; Morgellons disease; dermatitis; spirochetes