The Morgellons Research Foundation has said many times that cellulose has been detected in fibers that Morgellons patients found on the skin, or in their wounds. They are also quite interested in tests that showed Agrobacterium in wounds. (Agrobacterium is a bacterium that normally infects plants, but can infect humans with weakened immune systems, particularly with chronic skin trauma).
Agrobacterium is one of number of species that produce microbial cellulose. Of course this is of interest, since some fibers tested have been shown to contain cellulose. Could those fibers be microbial cellulose from Agrobacterium?
Recently some SEM photos were released that showed “Morgellons” fibers. I demonstrated that they looked just like cotton fibers, which are also made of cellulose. But could they actually be microbial cellulose? Here’s the photo of the Morgellons fibers:
Note the scale in the bottom left, 10µm, meaning the smooth fibers are about 10-15µm across.
Now look at some microbial cellulose:
At first glance it looks plausible that it might be the same thing. But look at the scale in the bottom right (click on the photo to zoom in). It’s 2µm, meaning the microbial cellulose fibers are about 0.1µm across. 1/100th the size of the Morgellons fibers. Here’s what the microbial cellulose fibers would look like at the same scale as the Morgellons fibers.
So, no, these “Morgellons” fibers do not in any way resemble microbial cellulose from Agrobactrium. In fact, they look exactly like cotton. They are made of the same thing as cotton. Cotton is in nearly all bandages and dressings, towels, clothes, furniture and household dust. Cotton fibers are everywhere. These “Morgellons” fibers are clearly cotton.
But one mystery remains – why are the “Morgellons” patients’ samples testing positive for Agrobacterium? That’s difficult to say for sure, but consider that the samples came from patients of Raphael Stricker, who treats some people that he thinks have Morgellons with very long term intravenous antibiotics – which are often administered via an indwelling venous catheter (meaning a catheter into a vein, that you leave in all the time). Consider this report:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=8448285&cmd=showdetailview
Agrobacterium infections in humans: experience at one hospital and review.
Agrobacteria are noted primarily for their phytopathogenicity [infecting plants] and when isolated from human clinical specimens are often considered contaminants or organisms of low pathogenicity [infecting humans]. We report six cases at one hospital over a 6 1/2-year period in which infection was accompanied by a compatible clinical syndrome and review 19 cases reported in the literature. Fourteen of the 25 combined cases involved central venous catheter-associated infections. Six cases involved peritonitis, five of which occurred in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Additional infections included two non-catheter-associated bacteremias, one prosthetic valve endocarditis, and two urinary tract infections. Most infections were community acquired, and restriction enzyme analysis of Agrobacterium isolates from eight patients at one hospital revealed unique patterns in each case without evidence for clonal dissemination of these strains. Agrobacterium isolates may be resistant to multiple antibiotics, and optimal therapy has not yet been determined. Agrobacteria should be recognized as opportunistic pathogens in the immunocompromised host, particularly in those with indwelling plastic catheters.
So, several sick patients from Stricker’s patient community, who probably had indwelling plastic catheters, tested positive for Agrobacterium, and found cotton in their wounds.
Does it seem suspicious to anyone that a so-called Agrobacterium expert just happened to be located to study Stricker’s specimens that just happened to be contaminated with Agrobacterium that wasn’t supposedly found in any of the non Stricker specimens? I was just wondering. Wasn’t stricker discovered to be lying on the data for his AIDS research when trying to obtain a previous grant? I mean, if someone was to find Agrobacterium in all of the Morgellons specimens, who, but Citovsky, would be the best person to find them, or should I say, “let” find them? And how did it get into these specimens? Whose patients provided these specimens? Who handled these specimens after they were collected? Who recruited Citovsky? Does anyone smell anything rotten in Denmark?
Another excellent bit of scientific detective work, Michael. Does anyone out there know for sure if the Doc was using the plastic catheters? If so, the citation above would certainly explain the bacterium’s presence. Why didn’t the Doc or his crony find and utilize the above cited paper? They have the same computer searches available as does our amateur scientist Michael. Did they find it and ignore it, hoping it would go away? That line of reasoning would be edging towards malpractice it would seem.
Michael, I and I expect many more concerned readers out here are very happy you are around to upset such shysters applecarts and expose their sloppy work. Their peers are certainly not doing the job.
The scarcity of commenters on this post is no doubt explained by the sound reasoning of Michael. The post virtually stands alone. Keep up the good work, Marg !
A google of stricker+lyme+catheters
http://www.google.com/search?q=stricker+lyme+catheters
gives:
http://www.future-drugs.com/doi/pdf/10.1586/14787210.5.5.759
(by Stricker) which says (pages 2-3):
Also see various:
http://www.google.com/search?q=catheter+agrobacterium
I have said it once and I will say it again–not one of you hae ever met or seen a patient with this disease and yet you go on and on and on making like you have info and it is all BS.
I have offered to meet with all of you and you have refused my invitation–scared of catching something that does not exist?
Can’t the government do a better job with its employees than having this run this bogus site?
The disease is out there infection hundreds of people a month and the CDC and Kaiser sit on their asses and do nothing but take bogus surveys–what a joke!
Call me people–if you want the truth about this diease.
We may be the actual 4400. If you allow your mind body connection to work you will freak yourself out. They know this..now you can too.
434-974-7128
Randy
cisfl2004@netzero.com
The first and third slides are identical.
This is proof of what?
The third slide (of supposed “Morgellons” fibers) has the second slide (of microbial cellulose fibers) overlaid on top of it at the same scale. You might not notice it because it’s so small. I’ll add a circle around it.
I saw a news story so I came here to learn , out of curiousity. I just wonder if anyone has given this angle some thought. Maybe it is a reaction to something done medically. The one thing that popped into my mind was the cellulose healing bandages they use in hospitals for skin abrasions. Or some type of “organic” product being used. Whatever it is, I hope we can figure it out soon and we can help all those people suffering from it.
Here’s a wacky thought for you. Maybe you are all correct…what if there is a “bug” that pulls the fibers into the body, say for food or whatever…..
I was going to say a lot of things about the mental health of the people who claim to have this “disease” but randy above me said more than i could ever have said. Some of them are either paranoid schizophrenics or giant trolls trying to sound like schizo conspiracy nuts.
Agrobacterium is used to mutate cotton in industry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrobacterium
http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol1/issue3/full/1/bip/
http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/~lazo/methods/lazo/cottontr.html
It seems that considering cotton is the most genetically modified plant on earth, and as we are all wearing it, something was bound to go wrong.
Don’t think you can mess with nature when you understand very little about DNA and the gene abnormalities you produce, and just get away with it.
The genetic modification of cotton will surely lead to a total boycott of the stuff as people realize no one has any idea of the consequences.
Personally, I am doing away with all cotton, and replacing it with hemp, wool, and silk, as it was 200 years ago before the Americans started cotton farms with Negro slaves.
Evil then, and evil now!
Could it be that Dr Deagle is right, and it is a silicon based alien life form.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2221852945040630461&q=Dr.+Deagle&total=118&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
I hope not or we are screwed.
For you fools who belittle those who claim to have this disease, consider this; the greater scientific community of educated experts once agreed the world was flat, that there was no merit to sterilizing surgical tools, and that the sun was the center of the universe. If you haven’t got something constructive to say or do, then you are just wasting everyones time, including your own. Go back to your beer and sitcoms, we don’t need any more negativaty from small minded ignoramus.
For those of you who think this is a site dedicated to helping those with Morgellons, think again.
The purpose of this site is to convince everyone who comes here that morgellons does not exist, and we are all fools.
This site only trashes others, and provides nothing constructive at all.
Read carefully all of the above text, and the rest of the site, and you will see what I mean
Thanks morgellons watch, for nothing but negativity
.
As the bible says, “A tree will be known by its fruit.”
i hope this site is for good and not entertainment from us .we speak because we want answers, this is no fiber unless something is inside of it .for some reason lavender is causing the symptoms to stop.it looks like if this website was for good ,they would take info believing or not, whatever helps the people of our nation. just listen thats all i want and nobody is taking this serious enough or they would listen to whatever needs to be said ,especially from a sufferer who just wants 5 min of a professionals time. plain old fiber! no ! go to another website and you will find answers.i know whats happening to me .listen world .its getting overpopulated and THEN WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll admit that I am a bit of a conspiracy buff and have very little understanding of diseases or general human anatomy. I just wanted to say that straight-away. It shouldn’t matter. Truth is truth. And the delusional can know the score to yesterday’s Knicks game like anyone else. And the delusional has seen his backyard and you haven’t. Just because he can’t prove to you that his backyard exists (although you’ll be inclined to believe him, in this case), it doesn’t mean that he’s wrong.
A few years back I was somewhat intrigued by an article I’d read on this disease. It didn’t seem so far-fetched to me. At one time I’m sure the atom was hard for some certain college educated doctors to fathom.
I had forgotten all about Morgellon’s until discussing some physical/mental ailments with my mom recently. She’s got sores all over her. All over her legs and arms. I was just gonna tell her to see a dermatologist, but then she started telling me about the little, white “parasites” she was pulling out of her skin. She said they move. And that they fight her. And that she only manages to pull one out every few months because the pain is unbearable. She told me she’ll save the next one for me.
I know what you’re thinking. “This guy’s mother is a hypochondriac who saw a news report about Morgellon’s and has watched too many X-Files”. Mom doesn’t have cable television. Mom doesn’t know how to use the internet. Mom isn’t the most intelligent person. Seriously. I don’t think she could begin to comprehend such a thing. She’s far too simple-minded. She reads and has trouble with children’s books.
So anyway, I’ve been doing some research over the past few days on this Morgellon’s thing. She has some a very good amount of the symptoms.
I’m mostly convinced this thing is real. Whether it’s a nanotechnological mind-control conspiracy of the government’s or demon-possession or aliens or nothing more than a semi-harmless parasite which has existed for hundreds of years mostly under the radar, I am almost certain that this thing exists.
Some college kids need to quit being such snooty jerks and consider the possibility. It’s not all that far-fetched. Nuclear power is more far-fetched. Radiation poisoning is far-fetched. Nano robots are far-fetched. METAPHYSICS IS INSANE! But your college professors will not argue stuff like that. Think about it.
You people don’t know my mother like I do. She’s just not smart enough to make something like this up! Not educated enough! And dammit, her body is covered in the sores to prove it.
And this Neem King guy has a very good point with the cotton thing. That’s exactly what I thought after reading the connection this disease may have with cotton. Mom bandages up her wounds with light amounts of cotton gauze to ensure the sores proper breathing for healing (at the suggestion of my dad) and also to help ensure that she doesn’t pick at the affected areas, but the wounds BECOME WORSE. It’s circumstantial, but it still makes me wonder. And who knows. Maybe she’s allergic to cotton. But it’s recent if that’s the case.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
Johnathon, your mother needs to see a doctor. Her body is covered in sores. She thinks she sees parasites occasionally. She has some kind of mental disability, according to you. She needs to see a doctor.
Why do you go for the far-fetched explanation first?
When people don’ have answers they blame mental illness. This wrong. There are so many unexplained diseases. Blaming mental illness is unscientific and will only delay a cure. Please people, unless you have real experience don’t bother to comment. This site is not to make people question themselves, it is to help find solutions.
Micheal,
Most doctors have no treatment to offer. Apparently you are of the class of people who think doctors can cure everything. Sorry, but there are so many mystery diseases. All doctors can do is biopsy and send it to pathology. It doesn’t mean they have a solution. Call any University or research hospital to see how many rare illnesses there are. The more people are aware of them, the more research that will be done.
Johnathan’s mother has a serious condition that should not be dismissed with the mental illness label. This is quackery and not responsible. Psychosomatic illness is extremely rare. This illness is not psychosomatic. Don’t let anyone tell you it is. Instead, search for a cure.
See how crazy this all is?
Doesn’t that then tell you there IS something going on.
And we are all suffering from the same “underlying” cause??
I think so anyway, but what I think means diddly squat!