tetanus

(noun)

A serious and often fatal disease caused by the infection of an open wound with the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, found in soil and the intestines and feces of animals.

Related Terms

Examples of tetanus in the following topics:

  • Tetanus

    • Tetanus often begins with mild spasms in the jaw muscles (lockjaw).
    • There are currently no blood tests that can be used to diagnose tetanus.
    • The diagnosis is based on the presentation of tetanus symptoms.
    • Unlike many infectious diseases, recovery from naturally acquired tetanus does not usually result in immunity to tetanus.
    • The booster may not prevent a potentially fatal case of tetanus from the current wound as it can take up to two weeks for tetanus antibodies to form.

  • Vaccination

    • Some vaccinations are composed of live suspensions of weak or attenuated cells or viruses, deadened cells or viruses, or extracted bacterial products such as the toxoids used to immunize against diphtheria and tetanus.

  • Development of New Vaccines

    • The implementation of large-scale, comprehensive national immunization programs, and the considerable successes that were achieved in the eradication of smallpox and the reduction of polio, measles, pertussis, tetanus, and meningitis, were among the most notable achievements of the 20th century.

  • Microbial Growth Cycle

    • Tetanus is an obligate anaerobe so it will infect areas where oxygen in limited.

  • Koch and Pure Culture

    • By using his methods, Koch's pupils found the organisms responsible for diphtheria, typhoid, pneumonia, gonorrhoea, cerebrospinal meningitis, leprosy, bubonic plague, tetanus, and syphilis.

  • Immune Complex Autoimmune Reactions

    • Arthus reactions have been infrequently reported after vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus.

  • Paralysis-Causing Bacterial Neurotoxins

    • By inhibiting acetylcholine release, the toxin interferes with nerve impulses and causes flaccid (sagging) paralysis of muscles in botulism, as opposed to the spastic paralysis seen in tetanus.

  • Diphtheria

    • In the United States, for example, there were 52 reported cases of diphtheria between 1980 and 2000; between 2000 and 2007, there were only three cases as the diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT) vaccine is recommended for all school-age children.

  • Artificial Immunity

    • Artificial passive immunization is normally administered by injection and is used if there has been a recent outbreak of a particular disease or as an emergency treatment for toxicity, as in for tetanus.

  • Ecological Associations Among Microorganisms

    • Pathogenic bacteria are a major cause of human death and disease and cause infections such as tetanus, typhoid fever, diphtheria, syphilis, cholera, foodborne illness, leprosy, and tuberculosis.