Posted by Librarian on 5/19/2002, 5:54 pm

Fox 25 New England aired a newspiece called "Mystery Parasite" about this specific illness on the 10:00p.m. News on 5/19/2002 and again 5/22/2002. The transcript is now available on-line at the URL below, but the words are below for the benefit of everyone. I hope Fox25 doesn't file any infringement action against this board for posting the text. Special Report: Mystery Illness “You more or less dig in the area where the lumps come up because they get so sore like something is in there and you need to get it out.” This woman believes something is living under her skin. Michelle's body is covered with sores. She says they "itch" and "burn". She says it started when a bug bit her in the eye. “This is sort of the area where the original lesions were... yes. When did this one come up... about five days ago. Is it giving you that tingling that you've described just under the surface of the skin? No. Just the back side of the head so the back side of the head is still feeling like there's something crawling under the skin?” Michelle shaves her head to reduce the itchiness. She and her husband David have been to almost a dozen doctors but no one's figured out what's wrong: “These are all my doctors... eye doctors, eye infection. This was a dermatologist. This was infectious diseases.” At least one doctor suggested Michelle is "delusional". “I'm not having the delusion, and he's not having the delusion and my 4 year old son is not having the delusion. And there's thousands of people out there that are also having this strange delusion. There's no question to me it's real. There are things that are clearly real that have appeared on her skin The loss of hair she's experiencing - the fatigue that she's having to go through, there's something that seems to be in her system now. We haven't been able to identify it yet.” Dr. John Bordiuk at the Marino Center for Progressive Health is the only physician that's taken Michelle seriously. He's tried lots of different medications on her and now he's prescribing the antibiotic tetracycline. That same medication seemed to help Rick and Shannon Francis, a couple who says they lived Michelle’s nightmare and have now recovered. They've talked to Michelle on the phone, but don't want to meet her, fearing they'll become re-infected. “They're not crazy. They are definitely not crazy. My heart goes out to them. I know exactly what they're going through. I'd like to help them but I don't want to be near that anymore. I don't know how susceptible I am to getting it again, but if I got it again I’d put a bullet to my head. I’m not going through it again - no way.” About eight years ago, Rick and Shannon started noticing sores on their bodies. They still wear the scars today: “Yeah, it itched a little bit if the scab came off it... it would get bigger. It was white. It was like a circular thing in your arm... right to the bone.” They believe they got sick from tiny, spider-like bugs that took over their home and then got under their skin. “She was on the couch laying there and woke up and said, ‘Rick I don't feel good anymore. I got to go to the hospital. I got to go to the hospital. We got to get out of here. We got to do something once and for all.’ It was terrible - it was a nightmare.” Rick and Shannon didn't get much help at the hospital. So they took matters into their own hands. They doused their home's foundation with strong pesticides, ripped up carpeting, replaced flooring, threw away all their appliances, even took out their heating system replacing it with a wood stove. “I would have liked to have just taken a match. I would have liked to but it's our house. Why let something take over you.” Rick and Shannon also smothered themselves with brewer's yeast, and took tetracycline. Today, they're healthy, but certainly not "back to normal" “We are so far in debt, we'll never get out. We owe my parents thousands and thousands. It's kind of rebuilding again little by little.” Here are some of the strange things both families experienced: * painful sores that itch and burn. * seeing things move under the skin. * black specks coming out of their skin. * unexplained fibers or large amounts of dust around the house. “It's like something out of the ‘X-Files’ - closest thing to UFO’s. If you give up, you never get an answer. And I’m not saying every question ultimately gets answered, but if you give up, you're guaranteed not to get an answer.” So what's going on here? The National Pediculosis Association has an answer. The NPA believes a tiny organism called collembola commonly known as spring tail is infesting humans. Spring tail is found all over especially in dirt and decomposing leaves. Ever hear of "snow fleas?" That's spring tail. So why does this organism bother some people and not others? No one knows. Casual contact with someone infested probably won't make you sick. The NPA has received thousands of reports from people all over the country with the same symptoms. They've given their data to the centers for disease control but so far, there's been no response. The NPA continues to do more research and families like Michelle and David’s continue to hope: “Our life is that. Our life is unknown. We're trying to figure out what this is so we can get over it so we can go out. The number one thing in our lives is to get rid of this. It’s very frustrating - a living hell basically is what it is. I've lost 4 years of my life with my son. You know, rather than playing games with him, I’m researching and becoming an entomologist or parasitologist which I don't want to be. I’m determined to get better and put an end to it and get on with my life.” See the link below for more information on how to contact Fox25 New England.

Link: Fox 25 New England