Table 1.

Clinical features of digital dermatitis versus Morgellons disease

Characteristic	Digital dermatitis	Morgellons disease
History	Evolving disease, rapid spread	Evolving disease, rapid spread
Environmental conditions associated with prevalence	Moisture, rainy seasons, unsanitary conditions	Contact with soil, unsanitary conditions, wet environments reported, third world travel also reported
Gender and age distribution	All breeds and genders, but mostly Holstein and Friesian cows	All genders, ages, and races, but mostly middle-aged Caucasian women
Geographic distribution	Primarily northern hemisphere. US, Canada, Europe, and Australia reported. In US, high incidence in California	Primarily northern hemisphere. US, Canada, Europe, and Australia reported. In US, high incidence in California, Texas, and Florida
Etiology	Multifactorial. Spirochetes and other bacteria are present in lesions and required for successful experimental infection. Moist unsanitary environmental conditions and female gender are predisposing factors	Unknown etiology, but evidence suggests multifactorial etiology. Reactivity to Borrelia burgdoferi, clinical Lyme diagnosis, and Lyme-like symptoms suggests spirochetal involvement. Serological evidence of coinfecting tick-borne microorganisms suggests coinvolvement with other pathogens vectored by ticks. Unsanitary environmental conditions and female gender may be predisposing factors
Contagiousness	Considered to be highly contagious	Familial associations suggests contagiousness
Symptoms	Lameness, weight loss, loss of condition, decreased milk production in dairy cattle	Lyme-like symptoms including joint pain, cognitive dysfunction, neuropathy, fatigue, and rapid pulse
Response to antibiotic therapy	Yes, primarily treated by local antibiotic sprays and disinfecting foot washes	Yes, responds to antibiotics