The project, whose goal is to identify possible risk factors and causes, was prompted by pressure from afflicted people, along with the advocacy groups and Congressmen that represent them, according to CDC spokesperson Selestina Russell. Morgellons has drawn increasing attention since 2002, when a Pittsburgh woman named Rhodia Leitao launched a Web site describing skin sores and filamentlike structures emerging from her two-year-old son's skin. After being inundated with e-mails from people complaining of similar symptoms, Leitao founded the Morgellons Research Foundation (MRF) to raise awareness and secure research funding for the bizarre condition.

Many in the medical community question whether Morgellons is an infectious disease or a psychiatric disorder. Since then, nearly 14,000 families have reported Morgellons cases to MRF, although the actual number may be higher, the organization says. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a study of a curious and controversial condition known as Morgellons disease, which is characterized by creeping, crawling and stinging sensations under the skin.

To learn more about Morgellons, which many patients believe is caused by parasites, we consulted Hamnet Cappello, a pediatrics professor and.