It's not man-made- It's trichoplax Adhaerens

[Steve Frey]

As many of you know I've pushed the Sponge and Bryozoan theories for quite a while now and I am here today to announce that I am quite certain I have identifed the species of Animal that is at the core of the morgellons infection. Trichoplax Adhaerens is a species of the phylum Placozoa which is composed of no fewer than five highly divergent clades, it's position in respect to the other basal animals is debated but it is extremely close to Porifera. I contend that it possesses traits and characteristics similar enough to those seen in morgellons to conclude that it is the origin of this disease. I contend that some species classified in the Phylums Porifera, Choanozoa, Fungi, and Placozoa, share characteristics in respect to the size of their mitochondrial genomes, and that these characteristics indicate that they have the ability to store the genetic code of other organisms, and that the Poriferans and Placozoans can replicate these organisms as well, at this time there is no reason to believe Fungi and Choanozoa share this ability. In our oceans today, all over the world, Porifera clearly exhibit this trait but it is apparently misinterpreted. Placozoans are no different, they are being studied worldwide and the findings from laboratory studies provide overwhelming support to this idea. Eventhough Trichoplax adhaerens is considered by science to be a free living marine animal it is my contention that it is also parasitic and capable of surviving within other organisms.
Placozoans were discovered in the late 1880's living on the walls of an aquarium in a European laboratory. It's a small flat grayish animal growing to a maximum of 3mm in diametre, it's body is made up of a few thousand cells at most and, though basically disc shaped, it bears a superficial resemblance to a giant amoeba which changes shape as it moves around. It has no front or back and moves in any direction. It has only two layers of cells and 4 different types of cells making it the simplest of all multicellular organisms. The two cell layers, its top and bottom surface enclose a fluid filled space containing a network of stellate fibre cells. They have no nerves, sensory cells, tissues, muscles, or organs. Lipid inclusions, called 'shiny spheres' which are thought to be of a defensive nature, are regularly distributed over the dorsal epithelia. Two types of spherical forms of this organism appear sporadically in cultures, Hollow spheres and solid spheres densely packed with fiber cells.
Their colors vary from almost colorless to bright pink, depending on the substrate composition and color. The smallest individuals are roughly circular, and they take on increasingly irregular shapes as they grow, from somewhat ameba-like to the long stringy forms commonly seen in older laboratory cultures or after placozoans have been growing and multiplying on aquarium glass for some time. The occasional development of a ring-shaped form with a hole in the center has been documented in film, the ring subsequently breaks through, producing a long, stringy shape, and fragments generated from both free ends crawl away as small individuals, I haven't had the time to search for this video. It has been observed that at the 64 cell stage of developement of Trichoplax the cells cease to separate while the nuclear DNA continues to multiply until the nucleus bursts. At times Trichoplast seems to just dissentegrate. These may be reasons why DNA is difficult to acquire in diseases such as mad cow and morgellons.

Placozoans are almost invisible on any substrate except clear glass, which would explain why they have never been observed in their natural habitat. In my opinion this characteristic goes a long way in explaining a lot of things. Most of what has been learned about their biology has come from studying cultures of them kept alive in various laboratories around the world. It is very seldomly recognised and its known distribution reflects the distribution of marine biology research stations rather than its true geographic distribution.. Placozoans are collected by placing glass slides in the ocean and lab pools and retreiving them after 10 to 15 days. Eleven years of continuous sampling from 1989 through 2000 by a study based in Shirahama, Japan showed that placozoans are present year-round on both the field and lab slides. Variation in the abundance of placozoans sampled within each year was reflected in a sharp increase during the late summer and early winter. Together with Placozoans on the recovered slides are representatives of most phyla of sessile invertebrates, protists, algae, solitary and colonial vorticellids, spirorbid and other serpulid polychaetes, and folliculinids, this is consistently observed and a few particular organisms often dominate the microcommunity to the point where one may almost predict placozoans by the presence of these other associates, in rare occasions Placozoans are also found without any associates.

Predation between the different organisms observed on the slides has never been seen but the other organsims have been seen avoiding or recoiling after contact with a Placozoan. In one report a small snail was watched as it headed straight for a placozoan, clearing a swath with its radula as it went. Just before reaching the placozoan, the snail extended one tentacle anteriorly, touched the placozoan, recoiled abruptly, turned, and proceeded in another direction. A swimming placozoan caught in the feeding current of a small
sabellid tubeworm was passed down the food-groove to the mouth, where it was rejected, flicked out into the water, and then caught again; this process was repeated six times, until the placozoan finally contacted the substrate, adhered, and crept away, apparently unharmed. When placozoans were placed onto the tentacles of three species of hydroids they caused paralysis. After transferring the placozoans from the tentacles to the mouth, the polyp became immobile and unresponsive. By 24 h after contact with a single placozoan, some polyps had recovered, but exposing a polyp to placozoans two days in a row was fatal. Ciliates, tiny nematodes, and other small animals are seen sometimes crawling around or under placozoans without displaying any reaction or evoking any visible response from the placozoans.

There is much I haven't got a chance to read yet but what i have read is enough for me to feel completely confident that this is the organsim at the center of all this. Here are some links to Trichoplax Adhaerens.


A Weird Wee Beastie: Trichoplax adhaerens
Microscopy-UK Micscape Microscopy and Microscopes Magazine

Introduction to Placozoa

http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research...xSEQ021203.pdf

Mitochondrial genome of Trichoplax adhaerens supports Placozoa as the basal lower metazoan phylum


Yale Peabody Museum: Invertebrate Zoology: The Trichoplax Genome Project

[Jo]

Steve,

What a find, thanks!! - what an amazing little animal. Lots to research hey, but I can see its got SO much potential.

Jo xxx

[carla]

Wow! I always knew you were on the right track Steve.
carla xxxx

[Steve Frey]

if anyone here is interested I've posted a pic of trichoplax adhaerens and a comparison pic of morgellons lesion originally posted by mark darrah

www.poriferaproject.com - Trichoplax Adhaerens

[Kritters]

http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research...xSEQ021203.pdf

Did you see that link among your obvious extensive research? The govt. has been working on its genome extensively. Cloning, etc.

Do you think there is a connection with possible fungi or bacteria as a result of this lab research?

Kritters

[Kritters]

Placozoa Are Not Derived Cnidarians: Evidence from Molecular Morphology
Placozoa Are Not Derived Cnidarians: Evidence from Molecular Morphology -- Ender and Schierwater 20 (1): 130 -- Molecular Biology and Evolution

mentions the Cnidarian posesses 'stinging cells' unlike the sponges. Could this be what stings us from under the skin?

(hope I'm not bothering you with stupid questions, Steve)

Kritts

[Jo]

Hi peeps,

Thought I'd just post Steve's link to the full article where the SEM photo match came from:

www.poriferaproject.com - Trichoplax adhaerens F.E. Schulze (Placozoa) in the Scanning Electron Microscope

It's totally amazing. We gotta understand it and then find ways to kick its butt.

I thank God for you Steve and for guiding your toes.

cheers

Jo xxx

[carla]

Now I know why our lesions, don't seem to get infected.
carla xxx

[Virginia]

Steve,
Thanks for info.
Have one of these critters or a defining marker (DNA,etc.) been identified from a Morgs lesion?

Second question: Do these grow in moist soil? That is, could they be a contaminant in soil derived laundry detergent enzymes?

Thanks.

[pat]

What I can't understand is how a sea creature suddenly moves from brine and thrives on dry land.Also if it is Trichoplax why when we wash clothes and body in salt water does this kill it-surely it would have no effect if salt water is the natural habitat.