just to add to previous reply, Lyme and Morgellons proving to be directly related - the same specimins have shown up in only a couple of Morgellons biopsies (1%) in studies done so hard to say if that is connected.

I would agree - see my "Good news for Morgellons sufferers" post I am about to publish...

I think the spider looking specimins with ribbon tentacles are early stage fibroblasts - samples I've found since are much longer, larger and invasive but show similar structure - tentacles can spread several inches from it's base, protruding up through the skin - I've found this consistently and is the most destructive part of morgellons creating the glass shards or wire-like things in skin.

Here is excerpt from 'Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis' by Marrianne Middelveen and Raphael B Stricker: 

The precise mechanism of Morgellons filament forma- tion has not been elucidated. In MD lesions, collagen and keratin filaments arise from proliferative keratinocytes and fibroblasts in human epithelial tissue.10,11 Borrelia has the capability to invade fibroblasts and keratinocytes and to rep- licate inside these cells.21–23 We speculate that infection and replication of Borrelia within keratinocytes and fibroblasts alter keratin and collagen gene regulation. Furthermore, intra- cellular sequestration of Borrelia may be a factor contributing to the development of refractory infection and MD. Borrelia spirochetes have been isolated in vitro from monolayers of keratinocytes and fibroblasts that were treated with antibi- otics.21,22 Spirochetes were detected in MD dermatological tissue taken from patients who had been given aggressive Antibiotic therapy.13 Persistent infection and resistance to Antibiotic treatment may therefore result from sequestration of Borrelia spirochetes within keratinocytes and fibroblasts in MD patients.

Correction - see my post: 'Morgellons disease: a filamentous borrelial dermatitis' with the following additional recent morgellons sample uploaded along with excerpts of recent study:



IMO, a LOT of people who have unidentifed "worms in their skin" likely have Lyme and the directly related Morgellons Disease response...

The "good news" is the level of research studies now coming forth and published, combined with LLMD practices impact and Lyme/Morgellons associations and research centers gaining ground in dispelling the Mayo Clinic's completely bogus study that concluded all Morgellons is "delusional" and the skin damage purely caused by "self inflected" eradication - although partially accurate in sufferers were likely trying to cure themselves (and attemped every possible remedy including removal of the infection), because no doctor would treat them (other than precsribing psychological treatment), common sense would seem to make that conclusion suspect (everyone delusional just does not make sense as it would amount to mass hysteria and that just doesn't hold water), but such was not the case...at least until the past 24 months where reality of research and actual successful clinical treatments are finally taking root).

Over time, delusional parasitosis diagnosis will be seen as a significant error and no doubt will cause continued debate by doctors attempting to defend their opinions and avoid legal actions. I am sure they will find a safe harbor legally, and hope they do, so acceptence of this disease takes hold more rapidly.