Fungus and what relation does it have to morgellons?

[mmarsha]

How is fungus and mold related to morgellons? Or is it? My doctor called me today to tell me that he had finally finished looking at all my samples and he said, you have a lot of seeds in these samples were you outside the day you got these because they appear to be plant seeds and all the insects that were in those bottles are not known to be parasitic to humans or even animals. He said, you must have just been out in the yard and picked these up and try eating some garlic.HaHaHA!!!If he only knew how much I have ate. He then repeated that I had some type of sticky plant seeds and I must have been under a bush and they just stuck to my skin??? Well, Mr. Doctor they were not on the outside but they came from within my ear's skin. Mostly I picked them out using a pair of tweezers and using chigarid, peeled them off. All this after i was finally able to remove bioffilm that had all but encased my ears and neck. O.K. so what does all this have to do with mold or fungus. Well when I googled plant seeds in human skin it took me to this page so I decided to explore the possibility's here and see if anyone else has any thoughts on the subject of seeds or fungus and mold, please feel free to post, I welcome others experiences and thoughts on this subject.
Introduction to fungal infections

Fungal infections of the skin are also known as ‘mycoses’. They are common and generally mild. However, in very sick or otherwise immune suppressed people, fungi can sometimes cause serious disease.
Characteristics of fungi

Fungi are parasites or saprophytes i.e. they live off living or dead organic matter.

Mycologists identify and classify fungi according to their appearance by microscopy and in culture, and by the method of reproduction, which may be sexual or asexual.

Growing fungi have branched filaments called hyphae,
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;
(A hypha (plural hyphae) is a long, branching filamentous cell of a fungus, and also of unrelated Actinobacteria.[1] In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium;which is;(It is through the mycelium that a fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment)yeasts are unicellular fungi that do not grow as hyphae.which make up the mycelium (like branches are part of a tree). Some fungi are compartmented by cross-walls (called septae).

Arthrospores are made up of fragments of the hyphae, breaking off at the septae.(Fat cells are arranged in chambers surrounded by bands of connective tissue called septae
0. Asexual spores (conidia) form on conidiophores. (Which is just another form of hyphae's)The sexual reproductive phase of many fungi is unknown; these are ‘fungi imperfecta’ and include those which infect humans.

Yeasts form a subtype of fungus characterised by clusters of round or oval cells. These bud out similar cells from their surface to divide and propagate. In some circumstances they form a chain of cells called a pseudomycelium.
Superficial fungal infections

These affect the outer layers of the skin, the nails and hair. The main groups of fungi causing superficial fungal infections are:
Ringw
* Dermatophytes (tinea); Ring worm of the hands or tinea manuum
* Yeasts i.e. candida, malassezia, piedra; Fungi are parasites or saprophytes i.e. they live off living or dead ... Yeasts i.e. candida. malassezia , piedra, moulds . Subcutaneous fungal infections ...
* Moulds.

Subcutaneous fungal infections
These involve the deeper layers of the skin (the dermis, subcutaneous tissue and even bone). The causative organisms normally live in the soil living on rotting vegetation. They can get pricked into the skin as a result of an injury but usually stay localised at the site of implantation. Deeper skin infections include:

* Mycetoma; (Redirected from Madura Foot
"Mycetoma" redirects here. For the bacterial disease formerly known as "actinomycetoma", see Actinomycosis.

Eumycetoma is a chronic, specific, granulomatous,[1] fungal disease.[2] It mainly affects the foot; and Mycetoma pedis is also known as Madura foot. This infection is endemic in Africa, India, and Central and South America
* Chromoblastomycosis;
chromoblastomycosis is a chronic fungal infection of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue caused by traumatic inoculation of a specific group of dematiaceous fungi (usually Fonsecaea peCdrosoi, Phialophora verrucosa, Cladosporium carrionii, or Fonsecaea compacta) through the skin.1

Systemic fungal infections

Systemic mycoses may result from breathing in the spores of fungi, which normally live in the soil or rotting vegetation or as opportunistic disease in immune compromised individuals.
Inhaled fungal infection
[b](plural: mycoses) is a condition in which fungi[1] pass the resistance barriers of the human or animal body and establish infections.
Classification
o 1.1 Superficial mycoses
o 1.2 Cutaneous mycoses
o 1.3 Subcutaneous mycosesTre
o 1.4 Systemic mycoses due to primary pathogens
o 1.5 Systemic mycoses due to opportunistic pathogen
Treatment, Although uncommon, some may infect healthy individuals. The result is most often a mild infection and long lasting resistance to further attack, but occasionally these infections are more serious and chronic (especially in the immune suppressed). The organisms causing systemic fungal infections include:
* Histoplasmosis; What is histoplasmosis?
[b] Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. Its symptoms vary greatly, but the disease primarily affect the lungs. Occasionally, other organs are affected. This form of the disease is called disseminated histoplasmosis, and it can be fatal if untreated.
Can anyone get histoplasmosis?
Yes. Positive histoplasmin skin tests occur in as many as 80% of the people living in areas where H. capsulatum is common, such as the eastern and central United States. Infants, young children, and older persons, in particular those with chronic lung disease are at increased risk for severe disease. Disseminated disease is more frequently seen in people with cancer, AIDS or other forms of immunosuppression.
How is someone infected with H. capsulatum?
H. capsulatum grows in soil and material contaminated with bat or bird droppings. Spores become airborne when contaminated soil is disturbed. Breathing the spores causes infection. The disease is not trans
* Coccidioidomycosis; (North and South America). What is coccidioidomycosis?

Coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, is a fungal disease caused by Coccidioides species. These organisms live in the soil of semiarid areas. It is endemic in areas such as the southwestern United States, parts of Mexico and South America. It is a reportable disease in states where the disease is endemic, such as California, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. Of people who live in an endemic region, about 10-50% will have evidence of exposure to Coccidioides.
Who gets coccidioidomycosis?

Most of the people who get the disease are people who live in or visit places where the fungus is in the soil and who engage in activities that expose them to dust (such as construction, agricultural work, military field training and archeological exploration).How do coccidioidomycosis infections spread?
People get infected with Coccidioides by inhaling fungal spores that become airborne after disturbance of contaminated soil by humans or natural disasters (e.g., dust storms and earthquakes).
Well this is a long post, but I had to go look up all these types of fungus so I would know what they were talking about and decided to add their definitions in so others like myself would have a better understanding . Sorry it is so long...
mm

[mmarsha]

What does all this have to do with having seeds and normal garden bugs infesting me? I think a lot! I think that the fungal infection on my body and yes probably in the blood causes bugs to be attracted to my skin??? What ever this fungus is it makes these bugs think I am some kind of natural wild life reserve. Let's take a look at some more types of mold and fungus, some that specifically attack the ears and face region as most of us believe this started in our scalp.Phaeoacremonium parasiticum

Cultures are usually slow growing, suede-like with radial furrows, initially whitish-grey becoming olivaceous-grey with age. Hyphae hyaline, later becoming brown and some becoming rough-walled. Phialides are brown, thick-walled, slender, acular to cylindrical slightly tapering towards the tip, 15-50 μm long, often proliferating, with small, funnel-shaped collarettes. Conidia, often in balls, are hyaline, thin-walled, cylindrical to sausage-shaped, 3-6 x 1-2 μm, later inflating (de Hoog et al. 2000). RG-2 organism.
Phaeoacremonium Phaeoacremonium
Phaeoacremonium parasiticum
Colony, phialides and conidia of Phaeoacremonium parasiticum.
Clinical significance:
P. parasiticum is a plant pathogen but it has also been reported from cases of subcutaneous infection, arthritis, mycetoma, endocarditis and mycotic keratitis.

Mycosis: Phaeohyphomycosis , I have seen this stuff! I know this is one of my mold vectors. I can't get the picture to post? possibly black flakes and reason my whole body aches...
Phaeoacremonium parasiticum is an agent of opportunistic phaeohyphomycosis belonging to a genus encompassing numerous recently described and soon-to-be-described, difficult-to-identify human pathogens. It appears in the literature to be an uncommon etiologic agent, yet we encountered several cases in a single year. Each presented problems in laboratory identification and case management. We present two cases of invasive disease with definite identification and susceptibility results. These cases are analyzed in relation to a brief review of previous cases known to have been caused by this species. Our first case involved a 40-year-old male cardiac transplant recipient with multiple localized skin lesions. The second featured a 31-year-old female with aplastic anemia and prolonged neutropenia who developed disseminated disease, with multiple positive blood cultures and skin lesions. Both patients died despite aggressive surgical and antifungal therapy. Fungal susceptibility testing showed that our isolates appeared to be susceptible to amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole, ravuconazole, and posaconazole. Because phenotypic identification of Phaeoacremonium is notably problematic, sequence-based confirmation was performed using a recently proposed standard based on use of a segment of the 5' end of the ß-tubulin gene. Sequences from both isolates involved in the cases were over 99% similar to the corresponding sequence of the ex-type isolate of P. parasiticum. The close DNA similarity, corroborated by relevant morphological similarities (e.g., long, thin phialides and tuberculate hyphae bearing warts up to 3 µm high), confirms these two isolates as P. parasiticum.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th Street South, West Pavilion 230, Birmingham, AL 34294. Phone: (205) 934-6421. Fax: (205) 975-4468. E-mail: moser@uab.edu.
This stuff will KILL you!!!

[Steve Frey]

if anyone else has any thoughts on the subject of seeds or fungus and mold, please feel free to post, I welcome others experiences and thoughts on this subject.

I know this sounds strange, but the sponge replication theory can explain what you are finding, I've even found evidence supporting the idea that the sponge can produce the pine pollen reportedly associated with morgellons, of course Science thinks it's just contamination of the sponge since they have no other way of explaining it but the theory explains it as it does just about everything else that is found associated with morgellons.

[Jo]

My doctor called me today to tell me that he had finally finished looking at all my samples and he said, you have a lot of seeds in these samples were you outside the day you got these because they appear to be plant seeds and all the insects that were in those bottles are not known to be parasitic to humans or even animals.

Marsha, Do you know if he identified any flies? in particular any fungus gnats, gall midge or phorids?

Thanks

Jo xxx

[mmarsha]

Originally Posted by Jo

Marsha, Do you know if he identified any flies? in particular any fungus gnats, gall midge or phorids?

Thanks

Jo xxx

The local co-op man just took a little look in my jar and said that one of my bugs was a Gall midge, there was another fly in there that he did not know what it was. I looked under high powered magnifier and it had specific markings?? I am still looking off net to Id, and no my doctor did not go into what all those bugs were but only said they were normal garden bugs and none of them were known to paratise humans??? and there were a lot of seeds??
mm

[carla]

I believe all Disease is related to Fungus.It is in our large intestine and controlled by the good bacteria.
The purpose of it is to take our body back to the dust .
Once the good bacteria is depleted by Anti-biotics or whatever the fungus thinks the body is dead and starts to take over.
It punches holes through the stomach wall and this causes food allergies etc
This would explain the attraction flies have to us as well.

[cynical]

Originally Posted by mmarsha

The local co-op man just took a little look in my jar and said that one of my bugs was a Gall midge, there was another fly in there that he did not know what it was. I looked under high powered magnifier and it had specific markings?? I am still looking off net to Id, and no my doctor did not go into what all those bugs were but only said they were normal garden bugs and none of them were known to paratise humans??? and there were a lot of seeds??
mm

If you can get a picture there are a couple of websites you can submit too for identification.

www.whatsthatbug.com

Pest Control Canada

[mmarsha]

Originally Posted by cynical

If you can get a picture there are a couple of websites you can submit too for identification.

www.whatsthatbug.com

Pest Control Canada

THANKS CYNICAL, i WILL SEE IF MY SON WILL LET ME BORROW HIS CAMERA. i HAVE BEEN SEARCHING ON THE NET TONIGHT AND BELIEVE i HAVE FOUND ONE MORE, IT IS CALLED A SQUIRREL FLEA?? Has anyone ever heard of one of these?
Thanks mm

[mmarsha]

Here is another paper about some different types of molds.
There are four categories of fungal infections (mycosis), i.e. Superficial mycosis (without tissue response), Mucocutaneous mycosis (skin, eyes, sinuses, oropharynx, external ears, vagina), Subcutaneous mycosis, and Deep organ mycosis.

Recently, there is an increase of opportunistic, systemic mycoses in immunocompromised patients. The patients may have been impaired as a result of the development of neoplasia, leukemia, metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus), drug therapy (cytostatics, antibiotics, corticosteroids), intravenous drug abuse or infections (AIDS).
Piedra mold on a hair shaft (Ref: doctorfungus.org)


Superficial Mycoses (human or animal body, skin surface, such as hair or lipids, without provoking any immune response).

1. Piedra, this is infection of the hair shaft. Black piedra is caused by mold Piedraia hortae; white piedra, caused by mold Trichosporon species.

2. Tinea nigra, brown or black, superficial skin lesions, mostly on hands and soles, of mostly young girls, caused by mold Hortaea werneckii.

3. Pityriasis versicolor, yeasts Malassezia causes skin infection in lipid excretions, leading to seborrhoeic dermatitis.

4. Otitis externa, external ear infected by Aspergillus, Malassezia sp. or Pseudallesch*eria boydii.

5. Superficial dermatophytoses (hair, nail and skin infection), caused by keratinophilic dermatophytous molds Arthroconidia and Trichophyton.


Ringworm of Scalp (Ref: NIH, Medical Encyclopedia)


Cutaneous Mycoses (on outermost skin layers such as epidermis, mucocutaneous membranes, genitalia or external ears)

1. Ringworm, is not caused by worms, but instead molds, so called Tinea of various types. The symptom are circular skin lesions with slightly raised, red margins, containing nu*merous scales and surrounded by reddish, itching skin. Causative molds are Mycosporium, Trichophyton and Epidermaphyton.

2. Favus, A bald spot on the haired skin caused by mold infection Trichophyton schoenleinii.

3. Onychomycosis. Chronic nail infection esp. toenails, by mold Trichophyton, Scopulariopsis and yeast Candida.

4. Hyperkeratosis. Extended hand and foot scaling caused by mold Nattrassia mangiferae.

5. Intertrigo, Yeast Candida infection of humid folds of the skin.

6. Mucocutaneous candidiasis, such as Thrush and Vulvo-vaginitis, caused by Candida spec*ies, mostly C. albicans. The yeast Candida albicans is an extremely common colonizer of mucous membranes.

7. Keratitis, mold infection of eye due to surgery, use of corticosteroids, or careless application of contact lenses, caused mostly Aspergillus and Fusarium and other saprobic molds.

8. Chromoblastomycosis, occurs mostly on the extremities with localized, slowly expanding lesions. Superficial, warty to cauliflower-like tumors and deformations develop, causant molds: Fonsecaea, Clad*ophialophora, Phialophora , and Rhin*ocladiella.
Eye keratitis (Ref: cehjournal.org)


Subcutaneous Mycoses (Local, chronic, traumatic infection of the subcutis, maybe disfiguring decades-long but non- life-threatening, provoking immune response and leading to cysts or granuloma).

1. Non-ulcerative infections by diverse fungi, forming cysts locally in skin;

2. Eumycetoma, in which necrotic, pus-oozing lesion cavities are formed in tissue, causants are molds Acremonium, Neotestudina, Pseudallescheria, Madurella, Leptosphaeria Pyrenochaeta and black yeast Exophiala.

3. Sporotrichosis, skin infection caused by dimorphic mold Sporothrix schenckii;

4. Primary subcutaneous blastomycosis, a rare chronic, granulomatous inflammation of the skin with ulceration, caused by dangerous mold Blastomyces dermatitidis.

5. Subcutaneous conidiobolomycosis, mostly infect skin of legs, arms and buttocks, caused by molds Conidiobolus and Basidiobol*us.

6. Zygomycotic rhinitis, the mucosa infected by molds Zygomycetes leading to meningitis. Tmost common agents are mold Rhizopus species.

7. Mycotic sinusitis, acute infection of the nasal mucosa with allergic reac*tions to local colonization, caused by, mostly Mucorales or Aspergillus, as well as non*pathogenic molds Curvularia, Bipolaris and Exserohilum. In immunocompromised pa*tients this may be fatal.

Blastomycosis (Ref: mycology.adelaide.edu.au)


Deep Organ Mycoses (Deep mycoses in immunosuppressed patients are acquir*ed either by inhalation, wounds, catheter-related infection or needles. The mycosis includes Systemic Mycosis or Disseminated Mycosis or Secondary Cutaneous Mycosis, mostly in immune-compromised population).

1. Blastomycosis, a granulomatous disease, caus*ed by Blastomyces dermatitidis through pulmonary infection If un*treated, the disease is usually fatal.

2. Paracoccidioidomycosis, caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, through lungs with the fungus disseminating to the mucosal areas. When untreated, the disease is nearly always fatal.

3. Coccidioidomycosis, is through inhalation of airborne spores of Coccidioides immit*is, leading to non-specific fever with bronchopneumo*nia, mostly the disease resolves spontaneously. Dissemination of this disease to the whole body is often fatal.

4. Histoplasmosis, cuased by mold Histoplasma capsulatum infecting monocytes or macrophages. The dis*seminated form is frequently fatal.

5. Penicilliosis, caused by Penicillium marneffei through inhalation, which is endemic in Southeast Asia. With impairment of the immune system, such as AIDS, the mold multiplies in the monocyte*-macrophage system. Fatal if untreated.

6. Aspergillosis, including Aspergilloma, and Aspergillosis of many types, Mostly caused by Aspergillus flavus or A. fumigatus. In the case of Invasive aspergillosis, if untreated, the mortality rate is high. Aspergillus fumigatus infection comprises about 90% of clinical cases of deep organ/tissue mycotic infections.

7. Cryptococcosis, invades tissues by yeast Cryptococcus neoformans when immunity weakens, often l leads to meningitis.

8. Candidiasis, caused by Candida albicans, or lesser by C. tropicalis and C. glabrata. The species is commonly present in human mucosa, which becomes invasive when immunity weakens. In newborns natural resistance is low, candidiasis can develop within a few days. Disseminated Cadidiasis can be fatal when untreated.

9. Zygomycosis, caused by molds of Mucorales, sep. Rhizopus species. The fungi show invasive growth, preferentially in the walls and lumina of blood vessel.
Coccidiodomycosis. In Southwest USA, this mycosis is endemic with high occurrence, stretching from New Mexico, Arizona to Texas (Photo ref: mycology.adelaide.edu.au).

mm

[mmarsha]

Below Are Documented Conditions and Diseases Caused from Mold Exposure

Fungi / Mold can cause a wide variety of diseases in humans, causing serious illness and death. Below you can find the species of Mold, how they enter into the human body, where they grow in the human body, and what are the associated health risks involved.

Aspergillosis

Method of entry into the human body: Simple breathing

Areas effected growth or colonization: Sinuses, lungs, Bones, Muscles, Skin, Eyes, Heart, CNS

Invasive Aspergillosis:

Pulmonary aspergillosis
(Infection in the Respiratory Tract)

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) remains a major cause of mortality in diabetics, infants, the elderly, people undergoing cancer treatments, AIDS patients, the immuno compromised and transplant recipients.
It has also become suspect as a cause of "SIDS", Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Aspergillus fungi have been documented to colonize previously damaged lung tissue and commonly colonize the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis, emphysema, asthma, smokers and healthy lungs.

New strategies in therapy are being developed for persons receiving Chemotherapy. While new types of Chemotherapy effectively kill the cancer cells they can also harm the lymphatic system and weaken the patients immune system. Aspergillosis in these patients has been documented as a cause of death.


CNS aspergillosis
(Central Nervous System Disorders)

The Central Nervous System can be affected, memory loss, bleeding lesions on the brain and brain damage.

Sinonasal aspergillosis
(Sinus and Lung Infections)

Ear, nose and throat problems. The Ethmoid sinus was seen to be the most common sinus to be affected by Aspergillious growth in the body. Headaches, sinus infections, chronic sinus infections, ear infections and pain in the ears has been documented as a result of these infections.


Osteomyelitis
(Infections of the Skeletal System)

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone, resulting in joint stiffness and joint pain. It can be caused by a variety of microbial agents including Mold. Certain species of Mold have been suspect to cause bone marrow cancer, other situation known to cause infection include:

* An open injury to the bone, such as an open fracture with the bone ends piercing the skin.
* An infection from elsewhere in the body, such as a urinary tract infection that has spread to the bone through the blood.
* A minor trauma, which can lead to a blood clot around the bone and then a secondary infection from seeding of bacteria.
* Bacteria in the bloodstream, which is deposited in a focal (localized) area of the bone. This bacterial site in the bone then grows, resulting in destruction of the bone. However, new bone often forms around the site.
* A chronic open wound or soft tissue infection can eventually extend down to the bone surface, leading to a secondary bone infection.

Osteomyelitis affects about two out of every 10,000 people. If left untreated, the infection can become chronic and cause a loss of blood supply to the affected bone. When this happens, it can lead to the eventual death of the bone tissue.

Osteomyelitis can affect both adults and children. The bacteria or fungus that can cause osteomyelitis, however, differs among age groups. In adults, osteomyelitis often affects the vertebrae and the pelvis. In children, osteomyelitis usually affects the adjacent ends of long bones. Long bones are large, dense bones that provide strength, structure, and mobility. They include the femur and tibia in the legs and the humerus and radius in the arms.

Osteomyelitis does not occur more commonly in a particular race or gender. However, some people are more at risk for developing the disease, including:

* People with diabetes
* Patients receiving hemodialysis
* People with weakened immune systems
* People with sickle cell disease
* Intravenous drug abusers
* The elderly

Symptoms of osteomyelitis

The symptoms of osteomyelitis can include:

* Pain and/or tenderness in the infected area
* Swelling and warmth in the infected area
* Fever
* Nausea, secondarily from being ill with infection
* General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
* Drainage of pus through the skin

Endophthalmitis
(Eye infections)

Endophthalmitis refers to intraocular inflammation involving the vitreous and anterior chamber of the eye. In most cases, endophthalmitis results from an infectious organism. Fungal (mold) endophthalmitis can be divided into the less common endogenous infections and the more common exogenous infections. These infections are generally caused by persons touching mold contaminated surfaces and then rubbing their eyes and skin. If left untreated this condition can lead to blindness. Treatments may take up to two to three months for a person to recover and there is no guarantee that 100% vision will be restored.

Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is frequently an ocular (eye) manifestation of a systemic disease. Endogenous infections usually occur in people with 1 or more of the following risk factors: immunosuppression, intravenous drug abuse, bacterial sepsis, prolonged hyperalimentation, systemic antibiotics, corticosteroid therapy, recent abdominal surgery, malignancy, alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, trauma, and hemodialysis. Candida albicans is by far the most common pathogen isolated in endogenous fungal endophthalmitis. Other pathogens include Aspergillus, Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, Blastomyces, and Sporothrix species.