Tyrannical Tetanus: Revolting Against Bacterial Royalty

Like any act of rebellion, warding off a tyrant means knowing his every move. When it comes to the bacterial pecking order, one particularly powerful figure is Tetanus. Tetanus, caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani, is an infection that attacks the nervous system, causing a myriad of potentially life-threatening symptoms. Gain awareness and pursue prevention to take back your own bodily castle.

Causes of Corruption

Tetanus is caused by exposure to Clostridium tetani. This of course begs the question, “How does one become exposed to such bacteria”? The bacteria are predominantly found in soil, dust, and animal feces. Fortunately, the body’s protective layer – the skin – typically inhibits exposure to such things. However, when Clostridium tetani does manage to enter the body through cut, scrape, or other type of flesh wound, spores of the bacteria release a very powerful toxin called tetanospasmin. Tetanospasmin is the real culprit behind Tetanus, as it actively inhibits the motor neurons responsible for muscle control. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the common red flags for Tetanus are muscle spasms and stiffness.

Risking Revolt

Other than exposure to broken skin, there are a number of other factors that increase the risk of Tetanus. In particular, if the skin is broken by a foreign object such as a nails or splinters, there is a much higher likelihood of contracting the disease. Similarly, other forms of puncture wounds, including body piercings, tattoos, and intravenous drugs raise the likelihood of Tetanus exposure.

There are also a number of far less common risk factors, including gunshot wounds, compound fractures (fractures in which the bone breaks the skin), burns, surgical wounds, animal bites, and ear infections.

Broken skin and exposure to some source of Clostridium tetani constitute the fundamental elements for bacterial spores to propagate in the body and release the toxin that causes Tetanus.

Treatment and Prevention: Defending the Peace

Once the tetanus tyrant has taken control, there are a number of means of combating its harsh ways.

First and foremost is treating the location of exposure: upon breaking the skin, it is essential to thoroughly clean the site of the wound. This not only removes foreign objects and dirt from the wounds, but also prevents the growth and proliferation of tetanus spores.

If the infection persists after cleaning the wound, there are a number of treatment options available. Because the infection is bacterial, doctors often prescribe antibiotics to eradicate Clostridium tetani from the body.

Antitoxin is another treatment option. Common antitoxins, such as tetanus immune globulin, act to neutralize the toxin released by Clostridium tetani. Unfortunately, the antitoxin is only effective if the toxin has not yet bonded to nerve tissue. Thus, by the time symptoms start to show, it is too late for an antitoxin to have any significant effect.

Doctors may also prescribe sedatives or beta-blockers to minimize muscle spasms. These medications relieve irregularity in both skeletal muscle as well as the in the muscle tissue responsible for regulating heartbeat and breathing.

Like a number of other infectious diseases, the most effective means of avoiding Tetanus is prevention rather than treatment. Steering clear the disease entirely always trumps managing symptoms after already contracting the infection. Thus, preemptive vaccination is the best course of action. Vaccination is also a crucial option after already contracting Tetanus, as exposure to the disease does not render the body immune to future infections. Get your Tetanus shot at your local Travel Vaccination clinic today.

Don’t Get Locked into Tetanus/Lockjaw!

What is tetanus?

 

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is an infection caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. Illness results from a potent neurotoxin that is made during the growth of this bacterium in dead tissues. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person, but can enter the body through many other commonplace means.

How could I be exposed?

The tetanus bacterium, found in dust, soil, and manure, is pervasive in any environment and is therefore almost unavoidable. The most likely points of exposure are as follow:

• Wounds contaminated by dirt, feces, or saliva
• Wounds caused by an unclean object (such as a nail, knife, splinter, or needle) puncturing the skin
• Animal bites
• Burns
• Crush injuries

Dirt can enter the wound in any of these situations, and tetanus is the last thing you want to worry about in addition to an injury.

What are the symptoms?   

The most common initial symptom of tetanus is spasms of the jaw muscles, or “lockjaw.” Those affected by the bacteria also experience jaw cramping, sudden involuntary muscle tightening, painful muscle stiffness throughout the body, difficulty swallowing, spasms of the vocal cords, seizures, fever, headaches, high blood pressure, and increased heart rate.

In addition, these symptoms can lead to other more serious conditions. Muscle spasms and seizures may cause bone fractures. In addition, some patients experience a pulmonary embolism, in which a blood clot becomes dislodged from another part of the body and travels to the lungs, resulting in a blockage. Finally, in 10-20% of cases, breathing difficulties result in fatality.

What can I do?      

If you think you may have contracted the tetanus bacterium, you must receive treatment for the symptoms as well as become vaccinated. The average incubation period of the bacteria is about ten days, and the disease is likely to show itself within two weeks of bacterial exposure. It’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

In terms of general protection, immediate and thorough wound care should always be practiced. But, because tetanus can be found nearly everywhere, the best way to be proactive is to receive the vaccine before these bacteria affect you negatively.

I’ve heard there are various forms of vaccination…     

The tetanus vaccine is given as an injection into the shoulder muscle. However, the vaccine administered in children and adults differs slightly.

For children, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends five doses of the diphtheria & tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine. One dose of DTaP should be given at the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years. DTaP is a part of regular immunization schedules and may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

However, children who have serious illnesses or suffer negative reactions to DTaP should not receive the vaccine. Parents should consult a pediatrician in the latter case, as some of these children should not get another dose of the pertussis vaccine, but may have a DT shot without the pertussis component. DTaP should not be given to anyone above 7 years of age.

Older children and adults also need protection from tetanus. If you have not received a booster shot in over 10 years, consult a travel clinic to receive the Tdap vaccine, a tetanus booster that also provides protection against pertussis. Expectant mothers should also receive Tdap during the third semester. If you were never vaccinated as a child, you should receive a series of three tetanus shots as soon as possible.

Factors of the Ever-Dangerous Tetanus and How It Is Countered

The medical condition Tetanus can be described as a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers.  One contracts the infection through deep cuts or puncture wounds, which eventually result in the increase of muscle spasms through certain parts of the body, especially in the jaw area.  Signs and symptoms of Tetanus usually begin with mild muscle spasms in jaw muscles, that then usually spreads to parts such as the chest, neck, back, and abdominal muscles.  In some cases, muscles that help with respiration fall victim to these spasms, which inevitably leads to breathing problems.  When the infection is in a more severe state, prolonged muscular spasms can cause rapid, painful, and unexpected contractions called tetany, which can cause fractures and even complete muscle tears.  Other symptoms of Tetanus include excessive sweating, fever, irritability, drooling, and uncontrolled urination or defecation.  In the last few years, only around 11% of reported tetanus cases have resulted in mortality, but on average mortality rates range from 48% to 73%, which is shockingly high.  Also, the highest mortality rates occur with people who are unvaccinated and are either over the age of sixty or newborn. 

            The tetanus toxin originally binds to peripheral nerve terminals and is then transported within the axon across synaptic junctions.  Eventually, the toxin reaches its destination in the central nervous system where it attaches to gangliosides at the presynaptic inhibitory motor nerve endings and is then carried into the axon by endocytosis.  At this stage, the toxin blocks the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft.  The synaptic cleft checks the nervous impulse, which cannot be checked by normal inhibitory mechanisms. When the synaptic cleft is blocked, the muscle spasms of tetanus begin, preventing the release of neurotransmitters by the cells.

            Like other diseases, tetanus also contains an incubation period.  The incubation period usually last about only eight days although in some cases it can last up to several months.  The farther the infected site is from the central nervous system, the longer the incubation period lasts.  There are different types of tetanus, but the most prevalent form is Generalized Tetanus with represents 80% of the cases.  These spasms last for up to around four weeks and full recovery takes months, with death as a possibility.

            Those who have contracted tetanus are not always immune after recovery, because of the potency of the toxin.  The infection can be prevented though by vaccination with tetanus toxoid, a vaccination made from inactive tetanus toxins.  Because of the lack of complete immunity, booster shots are recommended every ten years.  The tetanus vaccine was first discovered and produced in 1924, and after the initial success in combating the tetanus infection, the vaccine has continued its usage.  Unfortunately there is not a medicine that can cure the infection when one has become contaminated, thereby placing more emphasize on the importance of getting vaccinated before potentially contracting this harmful disease. Over time, the vaccination has greatly decreased the stunningly high mortality rate of tetanus thereby shrinking the dangers of the deadly infection. Check with your local travel clinic for more information!

An Open Wound = An Open Door for Tetanus

One day you wake up, ready to go about your day-to-day routine. If it’s another day at work, you shower, get dressed, and head out the door. If it’s a day off, you might just head out to exercise, jog, or explore the outside world. But then you run into a little accident and you cut yourself, scrape the skin off a part of your flesh, or end up having an open wound after stepping on a nail or getting scraped by an object you walked by.

            Little do we know that such insignificant wounds sometimes may open the door for various infections that many of us do not expect to enter our body. This is one of the ways that Tetanus infection occurs amongst millions of people worldwide per year. Tetanus is a painful and deadly infection that causes severe muscle spasms as a result of contamination of the central nervous system. The infection is known to enter an individual’s body through open wounds or an injury that leaves an opening in the body for the infection to enter.

            Now, you are probably wondering, “But how can an infection as severe as Tetanus enter a random individual?” It all depends where you are situated, what kind of environment you’re in, and if any wounds in your body are exposed. The infection mostly resides in spores that contain the bacteria C. tetani which is found in the soil, animal feces, animal teeth, fungi, and certain plants. It’s the bacteria that causes Tetanus. The infection is more prevalent in warm and damp climates with soil rich in organic matter. If you one day injure yourself and your open wounds make contact with soil, it is important to contact your health provider about any risk of Tetanus infection.

Symptoms of the infection depend on the duration of the incubation period which in turn depends on how far the injury is from the central nervous system. Symptoms may appear between 7-21 days after infection and its first signs are mild spasms in the jaw, chest, neck, back, and abdominal muscles. In later stages, symptoms worsen causing sudden, painful, and severe muscle contractions and spasms that can cause fractures and muscle tears.

If muscles that assist with breathing are affected, the person may suffer breathing problems or suffocation. All this is the result of the bacteria of the infection releasing a poison in the body that blocks nerve signals from the spinal cord to the muscles. About 11% of all Tetanus cases become fatal due to heart failure, respiratory arrest, brain damage, and airway obstruction.

There is no known cure for Tetanus but according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), what is highly recommended for prevention of the infection is vaccination. How soon should it be taken? As soon as possible especially if you are an individual who explores the outdoors frequently or likes to travel. CDCP also recommends for children and infants to take the vaccine to prevent infection. Once more, side-effects should not be of any great concern. They are minor ranging from fever, swelling, and soreness around the area of injection. The affects of the vaccine lasts up to 10 years and patients are recommended to receive boosters every 10 years to preserve the vaccine within their immune system. The tetanus vaccination is considered the most important factor in preventing infection. For more info, visit us at our website at www.travelclinicny.com or call us at 212-696-5900 to schedule an appointment if you are considering vaccination. A clean bill of health is always bliss!