Tetanus is a nervous system disorder characterised by increased muscle tone and spasm A.k.a lock jaw Caused by tetanospasmin ( a powerful protein elaborated by Clostridium tetani) EPIDEMIOLOGY Incidence has greatly reduced worldwide (more so in the developed countries) since the advent of universal vaccination Developing countries still have significantly large no.s of tetanus with ~ 1m cases per year. E.g. among pts. admitted for neurological conditions in a nigerian hospital: 50% stroke, 14% tetanus, 12% meningitis Etiologic Agent– Clostridium tetani Anaerobic, motile, gram positive rod Has a terminal oval spore giving appearance of a tennis raquet or a drumstick Found in soil, animal faeces and even human faeces Spores survive for years and show resistance to disinfectants and boiling for 20 minutes Clostridium tetani ….cont’d The vegetative cells are however easily inactivated and are susceptible to various antibiotics (flagyl, penicillin) The toxin – tetanospasmin Formed in vegetative cells Is a single polypeptide chain that undergoes autolysis to form a hetero dimer consisting of
