How we can get Tetanus?

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We can get tetanus everywhere but we can prevent it by immediate and proper medical attention.

What is tetanus?

Tetanus is a fatal disease of the nervous system that is caused by nerve toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. It can be found in the soil and in animal and human intestines.

Tetanus is often associated with rust, like nails. But the rust itself does not cause tetanus nor does it contain more Clostridium tetani bacteria. The rough surface of rusty metal is a prime habitat for Clostridium tetani endospores to reside in.


How can we get tetanus?

When the nails puncture your skin it delivers endospores deep within the body from wound. Infection occurs through wound contamination and often involves a cut or deep puncture wound where the entry for the bacteria. Deep wounds or those with devitalized (dead) tissue are particularly prone to tetanus infection. As the infection progresses, muscle spasms develop in the jaw "lockjaw" and elsewhere in the body.

The bacteria can also be introduced through burns, splinters, or insect bites, any break in the skin, and injection-drug sites where the bacteria can enter. So if you have a wound you should clean it until it heals.


What are the Symptoms of tetanus?

• Mild spasms in the jaw muscles also known as lockjaw.
• Spasms can also affect the chest, neck, back, abdominal muscles, and buttocks.
• Back muscle spasms often cause arching, called opisthotonos.
• Sometimes the spasms affect muscles that help with breathing, which can lead to breathing problems.
• Prolonged muscular action causes sudden, powerful, and painful contractions of muscle groups, which is called "tetany". These episodes can cause fractures and muscle tears. 
• Drooling, excessive sweating, fever, hand or foot spasms, irritability, swallowing difficulty, and uncontrolled urination or defecation.

Incubation period of tetanus

The incubation period of tetanus may be up to several months, but is usually about eight days. In general, the further the injury site is from the central nervous system, the longer the incubation period. The shorter the incubation period, the more severe the symptoms.


There are four different forms of tetanus have been described.

• Generalized tetanus, this is the most common type of tetanus, representing about 80% of cases.
• Neonatal tetanus, this is a form of generalized tetanus that occurs in newborns.
• Local tetanus, this is an uncommon form of the disease, in which patients have persistent contraction of muscles in the same anatomic area as the injury.
• Cephalic tetanus this is a rare form of the disease, occasionally occurring with otitis media (ear infections) in which C. tetani is present in the flora of the middle ear, or following injuries to the head.

Is tetanus diagnosed?

• The diagnosis is based on the presentation of tetanus symptoms and does not depend upon isolation of the bacterium, which is recovered from the wound in only 30% of cases and can be isolated from patients without tetanus.
• Laboratory identification of C. tetani can be demonstrated only by production of tetanospasmin in mice.
• The "spatula test" is a clinical test for tetanus that involves touching the posterior pharyngeal wall with a sterile, soft-tipped instrument and observing the effect. A positive test result is the involuntary contraction of the jaw (biting down on the "spatula") and a negative test result would normally be a gag reflex attempting to expel the foreign object.

What is the treatment for tetanus?

• General measures to treat the sources of the bacterial infection with antibiotics and drainage are carried out in the hospital while the patient is monitored for any signs of compromised breathing muscles. 
• Treatment is directed toward stopping toxin production, neutralizing its effects, and controlling muscle spasms. Sedation is often given for muscle spasm, which can lead to life-threatening breathing difficulty.

How is tetanus prevented?

• Active immunization ("tetanus shots") plays an essential role in preventing tetanus.
• Preventative measures to protect the skin from being penetrated by the tetanus
• Bacteria are also important. For instance, precautions should be taken to avoid stepping on nails by wearing shoes.
• If a penetrating wound should occur, it should be thoroughly cleansed with soap and water and medical attention should be sought. Finally, passive immunization can be administered in selected cases (with specialized immunoglobulin).

My experience.

We are playing in the backyard in our school, running, jumping anything, when all of the sudden I cant move my right foot already when I look at it, God, I accidentally stepped the 3 inches nail that pin in the lumber which hidden in the grass, I’m wearing a step-in on that time, I was shock, imagine the 3 inches nail goes through your foot, its like you nailed on the cross,  I felt nothing, until it was removed from the nail, its my classmate who help me to remove my foot because I cant do it alone and they brought me to our clinic, Thanks God I didn‘t got a tetanus, it was because of proper and immediate medication. Total cleaning and immediate medication can save us from tetanus.


Reference for further reading.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanus
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=8142&page=2