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!