What are morgellon's fibers made of?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
The evidence about what Morgellons fibers are made of is contested: several forensic and dermatopathology studies report that the filaments are composed of human structural proteins—keratin and collagen—produced by skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) and sometimes pigmented by melanin, while a major public‑health investigation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded most collected fibers were environmental cotton and that no infectious agent was identified in their cohort [1] [2] [3] [4]. Both positions have published data and methodological criticisms, so the claim that there is a single settled answer is incorrect [5] [6].
1. Forensic and histologic studies that find human proteins: keratin and collagen
Multiple peer‑reviewed histological and electron‑microscopy studies describe dermal filaments with microscopic and immunohistological features consistent with keratin and collagen and argue these arise from overproduction or abnormal differentiation of skin cells, citing keratinocyte and fibroblast activation within lesions [1] [7] [2]. Authors of these reports present images of fibers appearing to project from hair follicles or embedded under unbroken skin and report chemical signatures consistent with biological proteins; some analyses also detected melanin‑like signals in blue fibers by Raman spectroscopy [1] [7] [3]. These studies interpret the fibers as endogenous products of skin, not external textile contamination [1] [7].
2. The CDC investigation and the environmental‑fiber interpretation
In contrast, the CDC’s multi‑year investigation of an unexplained dermopathy concluded in 2012 that no disease organisms were found in examined samples and that most fibers analyzed appeared to be cotton or other common textile material, leading the CDC to frame the syndrome as similar to delusional infestation in many cases [4]. Subsequent summaries and reporting repeated that a plurality of fiber samples contained cotton and that the sores were often from scratching [6] [4]. The CDC study sampled 115 people and emphasized the possibility of environmental contamination and the challenges of patient‑collected specimens [4] [6].
3. Studies and reports that complicate the binary: FBI, case series, and methodological disputes
Other investigators report that forensically analyzed fibers did not match known textiles and that some fibers resisted chemical dissolution, prompting referral to specialized laboratories such as the FBI for more detailed analysis; these findings have been used to argue that fibers are not simply lint [5] [8]. At the same time, critics point out that many early case reports lacked rigorous specimen collection protocols and that surface contamination can confound results unless fibers are demonstrably embedded or projecting from biopsied tissue [5] [2]. This methodological divide—how specimens are collected, which microscopic and chemical tests are used, and whether fibers are truly endogenous—largely explains conflicting conclusions [5] [8].
4. Infectious‑disease hypotheses and the role of spirochetes
A subset of the literature links Morgellons filaments to spirochetal infection, particularly Borrelia species associated with Lyme disease, proposing that infection may trigger abnormal filament production; proponents cite case series and molecular findings supporting an association, while reviewers call for more rigorous, reproducible evidence [2] [1]. The CDC study did not identify a unifying infectious agent in its cohort, but later authors have argued for further study of potential infectious triggers for the keratin/collagen overproduction hypothesis [4] [2].
5. Synthesis and what can be stated with confidence
The most defensible conclusion from the available reporting is that Morgellons fibers fall into two reproducible patterns in the literature: many patient‑submitted materials are common textile fibers (cotton) consistent with environmental contamination as reported by the CDC, but multiple histologic and forensic studies have documented filaments embedded in or projecting from skin that show biochemical and microscopic features of keratin and collagen—human structural proteins—sometimes with melanin pigmentation, and these appear to originate from skin cells in those analyses [4] [1] [7] [3]. There is no universal consensus: differences in sampling, analysis, and case definition drive opposing conclusions, and further independent, standardized studies are required to resolve whether all observed fibers share the same origin or represent a mix of environmental contaminants and bona fide dermal filamentations [5] [2].