TITLE:
Dissociating Delusional Disorders and Infections from Dermatologic and Neurologic Effects of Morgellons Disease
AUTHORS:
Jase Grimm, Buddhini N. Dolapihilla, Gangoda Elapathage Dulara Mahen Elapatha, Udula Vidanage
KEYWORDS:
Morgellons Disease, Lyme Disease, Spirochete, Tick-Borne Infections, Borrelia burgdorferi, Psychiatry
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.11 No.4,
September
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: Morgellons disease (MD) is a multi-system disorder characterized by multicolor filaments extruding out of the skin along with an array of dermatologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms. It was previously termed Delusional parasitosis. However, published scientific data found the association of MD symptoms with the systemic manifestations of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia spirochete. In a retrospective study of 122 MD patients, skin specimens were examined and 96% of them showed Borrelia spirochete in their histology sample. Hence, this association suggests that spirochete infection could be a possible cause of chronic illness in MD patients, and this rejected the physician’s perception that MD lesions might be self-inflicted. A cohort study reported tick-borne co-infections among MD patients, which could also be an etiological factor for dermopathy in MD patients. Some literature also discussed neuropsychiatric manifestations like cognitive impairment, dementia anxiety, depression, paranoia, and sensory hallucinations in Lyme disease and associated tick-borne infection. The objectives of this review are to identify the differences in the past and current perception regarding the pathogenesis of MD and determine the associations of spirochetal and tick-borne diseases with MD and psychiatric illnesses. More than 50 new research articles and case reports were reviewed and only 31 articles were shortlisted and used as references. This review has a detailed discussion on Morgellons disease and its association with Spirochete infection.