Tetanus is caused by a toxin (poison) produced by a bacterium, Clostridium tetani. The C. tetani bacteria cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.
Tetanus is different from other vaccine-preventable diseases because it does not spread from person to person. The bacteria are usually found in soil, dust, and manure and enter the body through breaks in the skin — usually cuts or puncture wounds caused by contaminated objects.
The spores are found everywhere in the environment, particularly in soil, ash, intestinal tracts/feces of animals and humans, and on the surfaces of skin and rusty tools like nails, needles, barbed wire, etc. Being very resistant to heat and most antiseptics, the spores can survive for years.
Spores of tetanus bacteria are everywhere in the environment, including soil, dust, and manure. The spores develop into bacteria when they enter the body. Unlike other vaccine-preventable diseases, tetanus is not spread from person to person.
Tetanus bacteria can survive for a long time outside the body, and are commonly found in soil and the manure of animals such as horses and cows. If the bacteria enter the body through a wound, they can quickly multiply and release a toxin that affects the nerves, causing symptoms such as muscle stiffness and spasms.
Tetanus is an acute, sometimes fatal, disease of the central nervous system, caused by the toxin of the bacterium clostridium tetani. The bacterium clostridium tetani usually enters the body through an open wound. Tetanus bacteria live in soil and manure. It can also be found in the human intestine and other places.
The bacterium that causes tetanus is called Clostridium tetani. The bacterium can survive in a dormant state in soil and animal feces. It's essentially shut down until it discovers a place to thrive.
Most people link tetanus with an injury like stepping on a rusty nail. But tetanus is everywhere: in soil, dust and animal waste. You can also get it from insect bites, animal bites, scratches or a tiny crack in the skin.
Rust Doesn't Give You Tetanus.
Tetanus is caused by a bacteria called Clostridium tetani, which makes its home in soil, dust, and feces. If you get a puncture wound from something that's been exposed to any one of those elements, regardless of whether there's rust, it's possible to become infected with tetanus.
The pathogen
Clostridium tetani is an obligate anaerobic Gram-positive bacillus. The tetanus bacillus forms spores that can be found in soil and house dust, and in animal and human faeces. The spores remain viable for years in the environment and are resistant to boiling and freezing.
Tetanus is a very rare disease. In the U.S., the odds of getting tetanus are approximately 1.5 per million. Since 70% of those who develop the disease fully recover, only 1 per 5 million will die.
However, for patients thought to be completely unvaccinated, human tetanus immune globulin should be given up to 21 days following the injury; Td or Tdap should be given concurrently to such patients.
Tetanus is rare in Australia because of high vaccination coverage.
Use of aqueous iodine or 2% glutaraldehyde at pH 7.5 to 8.5 kills spores within 3 hours; autoclaving at 120° C and 15 psi destroys them within 15 to 20 minutes.
Antibiotics (e.g., metronidazole, penicillin) are used to kill the tetanus bacteria, the source of the toxin, but they are too slow-acting to be the only treatment. If there is an open wound where the tetanus bacteria are thriving, then that wound is surgically cleaned to physically remove any tetanus bacteria.
Careful cleaning of wounds, both deep and superficial, can substantially decrease the risk of tetanus.
Symptoms of tetanus may not begin to appear until a week after the injury, so as a rule of thumb, try to get the tetanus booster shot within 48 hours of the injury. If tetanus is left untreated, your body could face long-term complications such as airway obstruction, heart failure, muscle damage, and/or brain damage.
Do I need a tetanus shot for a small puncture? A: It depends. If the wound is small and clean, you probably don't need a tetanus shot. However, if the wound is large or dirty, you may need a booster shot.
Many people associate tetanus with rusty objects — like stepping on a rusty nail or cutting yourself on a sharp piece of metal. But the bacterium actually lives in soil, dust, and manure. Any activity that brings you in contact with these substances carries a risk of tetanus infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that tetanus infection in a fully immunized person with the last dose within 10 years is extremely rare. The prevalence of localized tetanus in such a scenario is unknown.
Yes, as mentioned above, the wound size doesn't matter — you can get tetanus and other bacterial infections from minor wounds. Puncture wounds from objects such as nails, or animal bites (such as a dog bite) put you at the greatest risk of a tetanus infection.
How is tetanus spread? Tetanus cannot be spread from person to person. The only way to get tetanus is from a skin wound that becomes contaminated by the tetanus bacteria, which is often found in soil. The period between exposure to the bacteria and onset of illness is usually 8 days, but can range from 3 to 21 days.
In fact, in the presence of water (like flood water), the Clostridium tetani spores that enter the body with a puncture wound actually are likely to have already sporulated and pose less risk of causing tetanus than a dry puncture not associated with flooding and water.