Fruit Flies

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Originally Posted by Jo

Brilliant Kammy - i've taken those gems for the report. Lots of interesting bits including the use of saline as a treatment.

About that fly I hatched. It was an egg and I put some water in the container (cuz I read that midges and gnat larvae are aquatic/semi aquatic) - next time I looked the water has evaporated and a tiny winy brown fly was there instead.

I think we should approach all the morgellon scientists about this....before Christmas. Lets draw as many facts together as we can and get it out there.

Jo xxx

YES! YES! YES!... We just need to be heard... Everyone here contributed to finding this information out - we're a good detective team.

I'm excited! and I know most of you must be too? I just want us all stop living this nightmare - and be as close to our 'old selves' again as possible. And end our suffering, Lord knows - we've suffered like no others.

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Blow-fly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The most common causes of myiasis in humans and animals are the three dipteran families Oestridea, Calliphoridae, and Sarcophagidae. Myiasis in humans is clinically categorized in six ways: dermal and subdermal, facial cavity, wound or traumatic, gastrointestinal, vaginal, and generalized myiasis. If found in humans, the diptera larvae are usually in their first instar. The only treatment necessary is just to remove the maggots, and the patient heals naturally. [10]


The Most Common Fly that Infests Humans:

Cheese fly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Jo]

Great Kammy!

Never heard of the cheese fly with larvae that jump like that!!!

Talking with Rocks this week, sub-dermal is giving gut feelings. Hypodermis is basically where the hair follicles start and larvae will be infiltrating hair shafts at this point. Deep enough to be shielded from UV and surrounded by adipose fat. I think they must be 1st instar to be small enough, so maybe this is where young are nurtured - in the hypodermis?

I'm fully referencing the report and have many gaps - here some to start with:

1) Flies secreting a substance to make host more alkaline
2) Flies causing release of ammonia (this might be related to the above??)
3) Pathogens associated with fly larvae

Over and out

Jo xxx

[Kritters]

SCREW WORM

Google Image Result for http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/U4220T/u4220T09.jpg

Dermal and subdermal myiasis
Dermal and subdermal myiasis, or cutaneous myiasis, is the invasion of skin tissues by larvae of Diptera that cause burrows or boils in the dermal layers, invade and enlarge existing wounds or form wounds themselves. Some species that are mainly considered as agents of intestinal, nasopharyngeal or sanguinivorous myiases are included in the following discussion, as they may be encountered in or on cutaneous tissues.
Species in the genus Gasterophilus (Figure 1, Example 14) of the Gasterophilidae are all termed bot flies. Their larvae develop in the digestive tract of equids (intestinal myiasis). Originally restricted to the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, Gasterophilus species now have a worldwide distribution. The Oestridae include a number of important veterinary parasites. Hypoderma species (Figure 1, Example 15) are heel flies, warble flies or cattle grubs, whose larvae migrate from sites of oviposition by a subcutaneous route and in nerve tissues to the back, where they develop in "warbles" which spoil the host's hide. They are a great problem to cattle production in the Holarctic region. Some species attack deer in a similar manner. Larvae of the Old World genus Rhinoestrus (Figure 1, Example 16), nasal bot flies, infest the nasal sinuses of their hosts (nasopharyngeal myiasis) and are, generally, very host specific. Rhinoestrus purpureus attacks horses and donkeys. Cephalopina titillator (Figure 1, Example 17), the camel nasal bot fly, is the only species in its genus. Its larvae develop in the nasal cavities of camels wherever camels naturally occur. The genus Oestrus includes Oestrus ovis (Figure 1, Example 1, the very important sheep nasal bot fly, whose larvae develop in the head sinuses and nasal passages of sheep and goats in all sheep-farming areas of the world.
T

MITE RESEARCH WITH FUNGUS

Mite control | Current Research | Insect Ecology & Veterinary Parasitology | Unversity of Bristol

VIRULENCE OF METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE TO EMBRYOS OF THE GRASS SHRIMP PALAEMONETES PUGIO

Control is achieved through the induction of a fungal epizootic where new spores and vegetative cells produced in infected insects are spread to healthy members of the population. The dynamic nature of this process instructs that safety remain a major factor in the development and use of M. anisopliae and other microbial pesticides.
Zimmermann (1993) summarized the safety data of M. anisopliae and reported that when the fungus was applied by different methods to birds, fish, mice, rats, guinea pigs or rabbits, no toxicological or pathological symptoms were observed. Recently; however, Genthner and Middaugh (1995) reported that when developing embryos of the inland silverside fish, Menidia beryllina, were exposed to conidiospores of M. anisopliae, several adverse effects were observed in both embryos and newly-hatched larvae. In a follow-up study designed to validate embryo tests for determining adverse effects of fungal pest control agents, Genthner et al. (1995) presented data from a single experiment that suggested M. anisopliae was an invasive pathogen of embryos of the grass shrimp,
Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 (029056) Fact sheet | Pesticides | US EPA check out the ecto and endoparasites transmittable in humans.
Metarhizium anisopliae Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 (029056) Fact sheet | Pesticides | US EPA
Check this out:
Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 is a fungus that infects insects, primarily beetle larvae. It has been approved as a microbial pesticide active ingredient for non-food use in greenhouses and nurseries, and at limited outdoor sites not near bodies of water. Many strains of Metarhizium anisopliae have been isolated worldwide from insects, nematodes, soil, river sediments, and decomposing organic material. No harm is expected to humans or the environment when pesticide products containing Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 are used according to label instructions.


So,( Me thinking here) Metarhizium anisopliae (or probably something like it utilizes fungus used for bio pest control . It’s used to control the insects (flies)…which look for a host in us…to lay their eggs (larvae) which subcutaneously track under our skin (morgellons) to deposit eggs. Flies are attracted to us for this reason. They must have a host for survival of the eggs. Nose, sinuses, ears, eyes. Vicious cycle is created. Fly larva (maggots) also clean up dead tissue, so there can be many reasons larvae is in our bodies.

Somehow….this may all fit into the puzzle.

When I wrote all this in word, I highlighted and enlarged key words, etc which are lost in this post, but all the attempts at scientific control are not fool proof, and unfortunately may have had dire consequences.
Kritts

[Jo]

Nice one Kritty, sounds logical to me.

Just a couple of things before bed. As if I'm gonna sleep!!?? Anywho, here's my black midge shots:

http://www.morgellons-disease-resear...&pictureid=958

Kritts, that fly species Hypoderma you mentioned - very interesting. Check out the egg attaching to the hair:

http://parasitology.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/login/b/me14312.png.php

I've seen this alot in morg samples.

Also, Tracy spoke about being able to pull whole human hairs out of her skin. I've realised that with massaging green tea on my body, that I can do this too. I've read that the eggs hatch due to body heat and then burrow into the skin - I think maybe they take the hair with them, for rations!!?

Night y'all

Jo xxxxx

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Hey Kritts - I tried to reach you today on the phone, I have important information about your polling and data collecting. I can email it to you - I guess. I'm not sure where to put this question below?

I have a question for the Senior Members out here. New people are coming in and Lord knows - I know the least out here - and they might ask me a question and I feel this is a person who might be calling out for help - like I did when I first came out. And, thank you, nice people for tolerating me... and taking the time to help me.

I don't know the 'ins and outs' of this site - where certain information is - that was one of my first observations out here and asked a couple of people and was told where things are... and there are new people coming in daily - I don't know which thread to tell them to go to...

Below is a concept for a new thread that I would like to see one of the Senior Members initiate. I will participate and be helpful where I can. I figure this would be a 'group' thing with no particular person in charge - just whoever wants to participate.

Is there another thread out here like this? If there isn't, and someone wants to cut and paste this below and add to it, etc. and start a thread with a similiar banner topic? - I think it's muchly needed! People are coming in here worried and concerned and not sure where to go or who to ask for help. Thank you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASK THE SENIOR MEMBERS


Are you worried about your Morgellons symptoms or an incident with it? Are you new out here and need someone to talk to? Are you experiencing something that you feel that only another person with this disease could answer or understand?

When I first came out here, I was in state of mind fog that I couldn't hardly read the posts. I was terribly nervous at what was happening to my body, many, many things were going wrong. I was combating lesion outbreaks and losing. I asked for help and all of the good people out here made an effort to help me, that's what this site is about. There's a wealth of ground-breaking information out here that's very valuable to us who happen to be in this position, with a brand new 'mystery' disease, we need each other more than ever, right now.

There's information all over this site that's been donated by good-hearted people's time, energy, blood, sweat and tears - for the purpose of helping someone in need, however, some of the information is a little 'scattered' and hard to find in one place. So, if you can't find something - here's the place to ask. Or if you want to talk about some personal aspect of your Morgellons - hopefully, you can get a couple of different opinions here - which is a good thing.

Most of the senior members have been here since the inception of this site. I'm hoping that they will come by this thread and help those that leave their posts?

So, just post some of your concerns, or whatever you want to talk about, and try not to put too many questions in one post. You can spread them out and let whomever comes in behind you - quote the one they want to respond to.

[Kritters]

Jo,
I only see one shot. Are you sure it's a black midge?

The connection I see possible is in the pesticide which has incorporated a fungus in it. Fungus can take over hair. It looks like the hypoderma has many species and some which affect humans. They describe the larvae moving under the skin.

I'm too tired right now. But I'll continue to try to get it clear in my mind to explain why I think there may be a connection here. Flies, larvae, subcutaneous movement, lesions, fungus, hair manipulation, spraying on human populations........I don't know it just seems all there to sort out.

Later dudette.
Kritts

[niecy]

Originally Posted by Kritters

Kam,
That looks a lot like a video I have seen of parasitic worms leaving their host (leismaniasis, maybe? don't remember) they were in a cricket at the edge of the pool and the cricket jumped into the pool in suicide.

Kritts

Hey Kritts,
I am trying to get caught up with all of the posts today, but wanted to comment on what you said here. There is a chance I guess that it was something else you were talking about, but I am fairly positive it was the "horsehair worm".

I would like to tell what happened once again with the Professor of Parasitology, if you all don't mind. I am not by any means suggesting that this is all of our problem....only that it definitly could be a part of it. I too KNOW that a fly, or flies, is involved in this disease.

He had the specimen in a jar of formaldehyde, when I walked into his lab that day. He was very perplexed, to say the least. He said it wasn't supposed to be, but.....he thought it was a horsehair worm. He knew they weren't supposed to parasitize humans, BUT, he DID have in preserved for me, and wanted me to take it to NIH, where I was supposed to be going for research on a possible parasitical infection. I was later told that I didn't qualify for the study because I had not traveled out of the country.

He also said that he had found them in almost EVERY SINGLE scab that he had analized.....once again I will tell you all that he said I had the most "intriguing samples" that he had ever seen. He has been a professor, at that time which is over two years ago, for 40 years.

He was very curious as to whether they had "mutated" into a human parasite!!!!

Anywho....here are a couple of links that I hope you all will read. I hope especially that Jo will look at the articles.

xoxoxo
Niecy

Horsehair Worms, HYG-2112-98

HORSEHAIR WORMS
horsehair worm

Horsehair or gordian worms are long, slender worms related to nematodes. They get their name because of the mistaken belief that they originated from the long thin hairs of a horse's tail or mane that have fallen into a horse trough. When they are immature, they are parasites of insects, arthropods, and other invertebrate animals. As adults, they are free- living. They are harmless to people in all stages of their lives.

Identification
Horsehair worms are long, measuring from several inches to over 14 inches. They are quite thin, ranging from 1/25 inch to 1/16 inch wide (1 mm to 1.5 mm) and are uniform in diameter from front to back. They vary greatly in color from whitish to yellow/tan to brown/black. Horsehair worms are found on the ground or on plants, especially near water.

Biology
Horsehair worms mate during spring, early summer or fall. Males coil around females in pools of fresh water or damp soil. It is not uncommon for a number of individuals to be intertwined, forming a loose ball during mating. Eggs are laid in a long, gelatinous string in fresh water.

Once they hatch, immature horsehair worms attempt to infect a host. They are known to attack a wide variety of insects and related animals, such as grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, beetles, and katydids, as well as dragonflies, caddisflies, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, crustaceans, leaches, snails, slugs, and other invertebrates.

It is not clear how immature horsehair worms infect hosts. Some researchers believe that they encyst (to become enclosed inside a cyst) on vegetation near water and are ingested by a host.(I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT THIS MAKES ME THINK OF THE CROWN GALL) The cyst breaks down and the larva penetrates through the intestinal wall and into the body cavity. Other investigators believe that the larvae opportunistically penetrate the body wall of any arthropod or invertebrate that they encounter.!!!!!

While they parasitize their host, they store up fats and food reserves. When the horsehair worm is mature and near water or damp soil, it emerges from its host. This emergence usually kills the insect (or other invertebrate host). Once emerged, adults are free-living and do not feed.

Horsehair worms are often seen in puddles of water and other pools of fresh water, swimming pools, water tanks and as well as on plants. They are especially common after a rainfall. Horsehair worms may even be found inside homes in toilets. This can cause considerable concern as people often worry that they may have found some type of human parasite.

Control
Horsehair worms are harmless to people, pets, and plants. In fact, they should be considered beneficial because they can be effective in controlling certain insects. Horsehair worms are nothing more than a curiosity. No control is necessary.


Nematomorpha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nematomorpha

Nectonematoida
Gordioidea

Nematomorpha (sometimes called Gordiacea, and commonly known as Horsehair worms or Gordian worms) are a phylum of parasitic animals which are morphologically and ecologically similar to nematode worms, hence the name. They range in size from 1cm to 1 meter long, and 1 to 3 millimetres in diameter. Horsehair worms can be discovered in damp areas such as watering troughs, streams, puddles, and cisterns. The adult worms are free living, but the larvae are parasitic on beetles, cockroaches, grasshoppers and crustaceans. About 320 species have been described.

Nematomorphs possess an external cuticle without cilia. Internally, they have only longitudinal muscle and a non-functional gut, with no excretory, respiratory or circulatory systems. Reproductively, they are dioecious, with the internal fertilization of eggs that are then laid in gelatinous strings. The larvae that hatch have rings of cuticular hooks and terminal stylets that are believed to be used to enter the hosts. They are mostly free living but males and females aggregate into tight balls (Gordian knots) during mating.[1][2]

Nematomorphs can be confused with nematodes, particularly Mermithid worms. Unlike Nematomorphs, Mermithids do not have a terminal cloaca. Male mermithids have one or two spicules just before the end apart from having a thinner, smoother cuticle, without areoles and a paler brown colour.[3]
Spinochordodes tellinii and its katydid host

In Spinochordodes tellinii, which has grasshoppers as its vector, the infection acts on the grasshopper's brain (I also wonder if that could be, if they have mutated, like our "brain-fog)and causes it to seek water and drown itself, thus returning the nematomorph to water.[1] They are also remarkably able to survive the predation of their host, being able to wriggle out of the predator which has eaten the host cricket.[4]

The phylum is placed along with the Ecydosoa clade of moulting organisms that include the Arthropoda. Fossilized worms have been reported from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber dated to 100-110 million years apart from a fossil from the Mesozoic.[5]

Relationships within the phylum are still somewhat unclear, but two classes are recognised:

* Class Nectonematoida: Marine, planktonic, with a double row of natotory setae along each side of the body; with dorsal and ventral longitudinal epidermal cords, blastocoelom spacious and fluid filled; gonads single; larvae parasitise decapod crustaceans
* Class Gordioidea: Freshwater and semiterrestrial; lack lateral rows of setae; with a single, ventral epidermal cord; blastocoelom filled with mesenchyme in young animals but becomes spacious in older individuals; larvae parasitise grasshoppers and crickets

[edit] References

1. ^ a b Thomas, F.; Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., Martin, G., Manu, C., Durand, P., and Renaud, F. (May 2002). "Do hairworms (Nematomorpha) manipulate the water seeking behaviour of their terrestrial hosts?". J. Evol. Biol. 15 (3): 356–361. doi:10.1046/j.1420-9101.2002.00410.x. ISSN 1010-061X, http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3gwynne/BIO418/Nemato.pdf. — according to Thomas et al., the "infected insects may first display an erratic behaviour which brings them sooner or later close to a stream and then a behavioural change that makes them enter the water", rather than seeking out water over long distances.
2. ^ Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas (2002). "Two Dimensions of Biodiversity Research Exemplified by Nematomorpha and Gastrotricha". Integrative and Comparative Biology 42 (3): 633-640. doi:10.1093/icb/42.3.633.
3. ^ Malcolm S. Bryant, Robert D. Adlard & Lester R.G. Cannon 2006. Gordian Worms: Factsheet. Queensland Museum. [1]
4. ^ Ponton, Fleur; Camille Lebarbenchon, Thierry Lefèvre, David G. Biron, David Duneau, David P. Hughes, and Frédéric Thomas (April 2006). "Parasitology: Parasite survives predation on its host". Nature 440 (7085): 756. doi:10.1038/440756a.
5. ^ Poinar, George; Buckley Ron (2006) Nematode (Nematoda: Mermithidae) and hairworm (Nematomorpha: Chordodidae) parasites in Early Cretaceous amber. Journal of invertebrate pathology 93(1):36-41

[edit] External links

* The cricket suicide (video)
* Videos of a cricket infected with a Gordian worm with the worm emerging to mate, as well as emerging from predators which have eaten the infected cricket. From Nature, April 2006.
* YouTube video of worms crawling out of a crushed grasshopper.
* horsehair worms on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematomorpha"
Categories: Parasitic animals | Psuedocoelomates



E614H
Revised 11/99

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Jo -

When I first started having all these 'things' coming out of my body - I emailed a biology department of a University that took public projects as class assignments. I ased them if they would be interested in reviewing my samples, and see if any of these bright students could possibly identify these objects, that they were the 'keys to identifying' Morgellons? Of course, I never heard back from them, I didn't bother to follow-up, due to the nature of the request, but, I'm sure there's others that do this also?

I suppose since so little was/is known about Morgellons and the 'press' out there has been on the bizarre side - focusing mostly on these unusual fibers and 'eicky-looking' pieces coming out of people's skins... we need to create more positive 'press' to attract more of the science community. If I were a starting-out biologist, I would find all the different aspects of Morgellons fascinating!

Jo, I will help you, in this department - trying to find scientists/biologists that will take this identification project on and preferably for free. I will help you with a 'Press-Kit' too, if needed.

And that's a great photo of your 'pet' there! Kidding aside - we're all working hard and hopefully collecting somewhat related and intelligent information for some scientist's review in the near future, kudos to you too!

[niecy]

Just this, and I will stop with the posts on horsehair worms.

I highlighted two sentences in the following post. They seem to be contrary to each other....but written by the same author. I wonder how they KNOW they aren't a danger to animals or humans, when they know so little about them?

One other thing...the hair like structures that came out of my sores, were almost always tied up in these strange knots. These are the ones the professor said looked like horsehair worms to him.

Niecy

Horsehair Worms | University of Kentucky Entomology

HORSEHAIR WORMS


by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture


Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms, belong to the group Nematomorpha. They are similar to nematodes but much longer (4 inches or longer) and very thin (1/80 to 1/10 inch diameter). Horsehair worms normally are found in water or wet areas, such as in or alongside streams or puddles but they can occur in cisterns, livestock watering troughs or most any open container with water. These curious creatures writhe slowly, contorting their hair-like bodies into intricate knots.

Horsehair worms develop as parasites in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, and some beetles. When mature, they leave the host to lay eggs. These interesting creatures are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets and pose no public health threat.

Life Cycle

Adults mate in water and females lay long gelatinous strings of eggs. Depending on water temperature, the eggs hatch in two weeks to three months. The life of the microscopic larvae is not completely understood. Within 24 hours after hatching, it is thought to form a protective covering or cyst. If the cyst is eaten by a suitable insect, the protective covering dissolves and the released larva bores through the gut wall and into the body cavity of the host. There, it digests and absorbs the surrounding tissue. When mature, it leaves the host insect to start the process again.

Control

These long, slender creatures are harmless so there is no need for control. Their presence indicates that a cricket or some other host insects got in the container and died, releasing the worm. Check for cracks or openings that can be screened or sealed. The horsehair worms are not a problem but contamination from other sources can be.

Legends

In the spring, these worms can be found in tangled masses. This has led to a variety of stories about their origin. The name horsehair worms refers to the old belief that they came from horse hairs that fell into water and came to life. The name cabbagehair worm is used in some localities because they can be found in the water droplets that collect in cabbage leaves. Since they are usually contorted into “knots”, the name Gordian worm was used by some. According to Greek legend, King Gordius of Phrygia tied a complicated knot. The person who could untie it would be the future ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great wasn’t able to untie the knot so he cut it apart with his sword. Although biologists have partially untied the mystery of these knotty worms, certain aspects of their biology are still coiled up tightly.