The Pre-Senile Delusion of Infestation

Association of spirochetal infection with Morgellons disease

“…These findings are similar to the observation of significant spirochetal loads in lesions of cattle with BDD, suggesting that spirochetes could be associated with unusual filament production in both bovines and humans. Although Ekbom reported that syphilitic infection was associated with feelings of infestation 26 , to our knowledge dermal fibers have not been reported in patients with syphilis.…”

“…MD is thought to result from psychiatric illness and is diagnosed on the basis of patient belief in infestation by parasites, or the presence of inanimate objects such as fibers that are thought to be deliberately self-implanted 28– 32 . As stated above, spirochetal infection associated with itching and crawling sensations and feelings of infestation dates as far back as 1945 in Ekbom’s original description of delusions of parasitosis 26 , and many of the patients in that study were diagnosed with syphilis. This clinical observation provides valuable insight into MD.…”

Ekbom Syndrome: A Delusional Condition of “Bugs in the Skin”

“…As Ekbom [1] described in his seminal work, onset of the syndrome typically occurs in middle age or later. Many of these patients are lost to follow-up [3,36]; in their age category, many of them are in transition from independent living due to health status changes and family alterations [37,38].…”

“…Ekbom syndrome (ES) is the clinical term for what is popularly known as delusions of parasitosis or delusory parasitosis, eponymously named for Karl A. Ekbom, the Swedish neurologist who provided a definitive description of the condition in his 1938 paper [1]. It should not be confused with Wittmaack-Ekbom syndrome, which is restless legs syndrome.…”

“…Valuable reviews of ES include those by Ekbom [1] (1938), Lyell [11] (1983), Trabert [12] (1995), and Bak et al [7] (2008). Freudenmann and Lepping [2••] have provided an extensive overview of the condition, with discussions of various therapies, including advantages and contraindications.…”