Outbreak of black, tar-like sweat in southern Texas?

Most commonly the 'tar sweat' is described as black 'seeds' found in the exudate of the lesions. Apparently the first symptoms of Morgellon's Disease is the crawling sensation under the skin. This gets the patient scratching which opens lesions in the skin. They haven't been able to exactly identify the fibers but tentatively believe they are cellulose which, of course, would indicate a plant-like source (including fungi). The only common thread (no pun) found between patients is that the vast majority suffer from chronic Lyme Disease.

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Sorta funny; I go to the Morgellons site www.morgellons.org... and they say "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , physicians who have patients suspected of having Morgellons disease, should engage the public health system" OK, that sounds reasonable but when you go to the CDC at www.cdc.gov and search under under Morgellon(s) a few different ways, nada... First time that's happened to me (normally the CDC site is premo)... might not be listed, that'd be unusual.

Hmmm. I'm gonna hit some the orphan disease sites and see if this disease of bizzaro-etiology (or one similar) is occurring elsewhere, idiopathic or not, stuff like this kills. I'd love to see "the tar-sweat" under a colour slide. I wonder what the results of a heme-occult test would be...

BTW; lupusnet, dermnet have bupkus too... crap I'm even thinkin' some sort of mange with a secondary flora component. Those fibers must be extremely painful as they develop penetrate the various histologies. These folks must be suffering something severe.

Victor K.

[edit on 22-5-2006 by V Kaminski]

I checked some photos frmo the links provided in this thread, and a lot of them, beyond doubt, are swabs of synthetic fiber lint. Just look at these wild colors and the texture.

I don't doubt there are cases of scabies and if a person scratches the skin, drops of blood will be coagulating, quite dark in color. In addition, in such case, you can indeed scape off the parasite and it will look wierd (in part because it will be damaged by scraping).

I really don't think this is some obscure new desease.

I did some more research regarding the scabies possibility...

there does seem to be a new form, that isn't as symptomatic as previous outbreaks.
Less legions, in less areas... leading some to think (IMO incorrectly) that since it isn't everywhere on the body, that it isn't scabies...

With new types of soap, and personal hygiene differences, outbreaks of scabies might not take the tell tale form, and might only be certain areas of the body, that are reinfected...

I dunno... but i still think that the proper scientific analysis hasn't taken place by the various sufferers of this. Too much assumption without evidence...

it might very well be a new variation of parasite, but i think the fuzz/lint is a misunderstood red herring, that makes it harder to take this seriously, and harder to get to the bottom of.

I notice that my scabs are in places that i might have scratched or punctured thru my job... But didn't notice ever getting cut/poked...
Should i automatically assume that my scabs are from another source instead of the logical first choice?
Do they itch?... not until i read about morgellens... then they itch...

You asked for it, you got it Lazarus....more research into it. Looks like someone is actually taking these people seriously.

Oklahoma State University Professor Randy Wymore was the first scientist to conduct research on this disconcerting disease. He says it's the biggest mystery he's ever been involved in.

Guess these people arent crazy after all. It ended a promising bay area baseball players career.

www.ktvu.com...

Maybe now some answers about this can be had.

"Pathologists and dermatologists and lab reports [said] that these were textile fibers appearing in the skin of the sufferers. Now that's just not true, to be perfectly blunt about it," says Prof. Wymore.

Wymore says his tests rule out not only textile fibers, but also worms, insects, animal material and even human skin and hair. He says the filaments are not an external contamination.

Instead, they are a substance that materializes somehow inside the body, apparent artifacts of something infectious. More results are expected soon. And Wymore says skin problems are not the worst symptoms.

Guess its not ingrown hairs or carpet fibers then(i never thought it was, someone else suggested it)

This is great news for Morgellons sufferers. Until now doctors have told patients it's all in their heads but now the CDC is involved and taking this seriously as it seems to have spread to various states around the US.

CDC forming Morgellons task force
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched an investigation into the skin condition called Morgellons disease.

rest of story here:

www.mysanantonio.com...

I really do hope they find the cause of this horrible disease to which some have already taken their own lives as a result.

I hate to say this, because it would be beyond vile for the makers of A SCANNER DARKLY to push the movie with a viral campaign...

but it appears that the CDC knows nothing about this situation.
CDC says what?
alternative spelling search

also, the University of health sciences center also has no knowledge of this...
and i ask you...
what is a doctor of Pharmacology that specializes in heart problems doing researching a dermatological/viral problem? (i looked, no reference on OSU website anywhere that i could find)

It appears that history, and present might be staged just for us... to get us to see a movie...

Before jumping on this bandwagon, i am going to call the doctor in question, and get a statement (hopefully).
also, i will look up the obituary of the young man who took his own life... I find it hard to believe that they would fake this part of the viral campaign...

Again... just speculation that is out there now...
according to the CDC, if this was true, they would have info all over the site about it... the spokeperson didn't have a clue about it...

This site alleges that it is a viral hoax, then they apologize, and state that the CDC is taking it seriously...
then on one last research attempt, they called the CDC directly to verify personally the claim that the CDC is working on this...
it was totally new news to the spokesperson (who should know about these kind of things)
find.viral threat, a viral marketing campaign?
again... i shall pursue the horses words from the horses mouth as well...
I'll let ya know what i


[edit on 24-5-2006 by LazarusTheLong]

Update:
i can confirm that the proffessor at OSU is indeed working on this issue...
independantly and voluntarily...
OSU Info page:

he volunteered for the same reason that so many here are interested...
it is a sad situation to not be believed if you suffer from an unknown disease.

The wesite only indicates that the situation will be looked at...
I hope it is...

and if this turns out to be a viral marketing campaign, even after a medical university starts looking into it, then i think some rather hard core legal issues will result...
Not to mention the total destruction of a movie studios future...

I am still a little miffed that the CDC doesn't mention anything, regarding this.
In my opinion, they are the only element that cant be fooled by a marketing campaign... everyone else might...

Again... not proof either way, but it looks like a serious scientist is looking into it with scientific method, and true DNA testing will result.

BTW- both morgellens pages have anonymous registrants... another tip that it might be marketing... I hope not... that would be some serious messing with people

Excellent research Lazarus. Thanks for diggin into that for us. One of the many reasons i love the diligent members of ATS. Ill keep postin up stuff as i find it, you keep knockin em down.

Lazarus has it right. We do searches all the time for our biz (re-insurance). Seems that the NIH and CDC are either uniformed as to their own actions or we may have a scam... and still the victims suffer. I checked with a equine veterinarian as I thought it looked like mange with a secondary flora component... he led me to the barn and showed me some dermal problems in horses and some of his colleague's pigs. Looks similar to the eye especially the hogs... little red and blue and green "fibers" in papules of plasma and heme with not much evidence of white cells or immune response. On a tissue slide it looks very similar to the Morgellon pics. He says the hogs have a hemolitic urticaria-like condition and are treating the condition with a class of drugs called "statins" that seem to stop the cytological and histological infiltration but does nothing to reverse the condition. Horses seem to get a different symptom too, hemosiderosis where the horses "cough and sneeze" blood streaked sputum. Ever seen a hog covered in zinc ointment wearing a sweater?

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
I am still a little miffed that the CDC doesn't mention anything, regarding this.

Could it be they're not ready to talk about it yet? Why would they keep it hushed?
Maybe they were told not to talk about it????

The epidemiology of this is just bizarre... (multicolor non organic fuzz)

for that reason alone, i hope it is a scam...
If it isn't, then we have to consider that this is a nanobug gone rogue...

Buckyballs were tested, and found to have some danger to humans, i wonder if some nano factory is to blame here?

again... still not sure, but CDC doesn't know about it, which directly contradicts the (anonymous registered) website...

I love Phillip K Dick, and loved Scanner Darkly, so i truly hope that the movie has nothing to do with this... I would hate to boycott, but it would be deserved...

Lazarus, I agree with you to the extent that viral marketting makes my skin crawl (no pun intended).

However, I'm unclear on something, is it your contention that Morgellons is a viral marketting ploy, or that this supposed outbreak of black sweat in Texas is suspect? I definitely agree with the latter, but since the lady behind the Morgellons foundation has been at it for several years, I find that hard to believe. That's some marketting campaign!

As far as the black sweat, I haven't seen any documentation that would indicate it's for real.

I personally am unsure if any of it is a viral marketing ploy...

But According to the "adlinks" link, (see above)
it looks like someone else has looked into this, with a sluething eye, and it came up wanting...

they could not confirm the ownership of either disease websites (both were anon)
they could not find anyone at CDC that had a clue (at first, they took the articles word for it, but checked it eventually)

As far as the poor women and men that are sufferers... the claim by this "viral claim" site is that they are either fake personalities and historys, or suffer from an unrelated illness, that they could speculativly add to their hoax...

Either one is way over the top for marketers IMO...

I wonder if it's black sweat (real sweat) or that's just what people are saying it looks like.
I had a friend who got the worst case of poison ivy I've ever seen in my life. He was a 350lb powerlifter and I remember he came into work that summer in shorts and his thighs were covered in scab with little black, tiny, beaded dots all over them......it was dried blood from scratching so much. Could this black stuff be from scratching?

what is the background information of the patients that have this disease?
like..are they doing some new type of drugs? is it something their eating?

Originally posted by chinabean
is it something their eating?

LOL! They're a bunch of carpet munchers and it's coming out there pours.

You raise a good point... chinabean
I read somewhere that a very large percentage of these people had Lyme disease... (over 50%)

perhaps this is a result from using some of the rather odd remedies for Lyme?
or an aftereffect...

but again... the presence of these fuzzies makes me think nano, not bio...

maybe this is the first frankendisease resulting from Genetically modified bacteria, or parasites...

bioweapon? not likely, but could have resulted from a poorly secured bio lab/nano lab


[edit on 24-5-2006 by LazarusTheLong]

The fuzz could be completely unrelated to the lesions, simply collecting there like fuzz normally does in scabs. Or, the wound might be producing the wierd fibers as a result of some sort of abberant coding for healing the wound.

But honestly, the things that makes me take this MOST seriously is the connection to Lymes. When there's a connection to Lymes, there's a connection to biowarfare, theoretical and applied.

One thing that strikes me as suspicious is the people who collect their scabs in little boxes to take in to show their physician. This matches the behavior of people suffering from delusional parasitosis, so in order for people to be taken seriously, they're going to have to quit it with this revolting aspect of seeking treatment.

It's reflecting badly on them and making it too easy for physicians to ignore their claims. Words to the wise...

From my earlier link from KTVU in San Fran.

Former Oakland A's pitcher Billy Koch has it. And so do his wife and their three children. And though they can afford top medical care, doctors have no answers.

It started in Oakland four years ago. Koch saved 44 games and was the top reliever in the major leagues. His fastball wowed crowds. And then the strangeness began.

"He freaked out. He wanted to ignore it … I wanted to too. But when it comes to your kids, you gotta stop ignoring it," said Koch's wife Brandi.

She describes their symptoms: "It was the scariest thing I had ever realized in my entire life. There was matter and black specks coming out and off of my skin."

Within two years -- at age 29 -- Billy Koch was out of baseball, partly because of the uncontrollable muscle twitching that went on for months at a time and often kept up him up all night.

These are not just some ordinary people. Former Pro Ball player and his immediate family all have it. Lazarus can u check into this guy and see what u find on him.

Zerotolerance, if you have nothing to add to the discussion, could you refrain from posting such remarks as that.