Why Did Two Morgellons Studies Point Toward Helicobacter?

Scientific featured image comparing a 2019 targeted Morgellons biofilm study with a 2026 metagenomic analysis, featuring a hypopigmented lesion with fine fibers, Helicobacter imagery, and a phylogenetic tree.

In 2019, researchers reported Helicobacter pylori-associated findings in most of the Morgellons dermatological specimens they examined and described the organism alongside Borrelia burgdorferi in mixed biofilm-like aggregates. Seven years later, an untargeted metagenomic study reported broad Proteobacteria-associated patterns in Morgellons lesion material. Because H. pylori was historically classified among the Epsilonproteobacteria, the newer result appeared to point back toward the same broad bacterial territory. If that resemblance represented genuine independent convergence, it could have been one of the most intriguing developments in Morgellons research. I went looking for how far the evidence actually reached.

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Video Interview with Microbiologist Marianne Middelveen

Marianne Middelveen Interview

Microbiologist Marianne Middelveen joined us on August 14th 2019 to discuss her work researching Morgellons disease. Can you tell us what kind of science you practice and describe how that applies to your work? What is the extent of your involvement with the Charles Holman Foundation? Is the diagnostic criteria for Morgellons just the fibers …

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