Clostridium tetani is a gram-positive, spore-forming rod-shaped bacterium that causes tetanus. It forms spores that are resistant to heat, chemicals, and oxygen. The spores can survive in soil and animal feces. The bacterium enters through wounds and produces a toxin called tetanospasmin that causes painful muscle spasms. Symptoms include lockjaw, back arching, and risus sardonicus. Tetanus has an incubation period of 4-14 days and is often fatal if not properly treated with a tetanus toxoid vaccine, wound cleaning, and medication.

1. Clostridium tetani
Prepared by ------Sonali harsh raj

2. MORPHOLOGY
• Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic,
spore-forming rod shape bacterium.
• Drumstick appearance.

3. RESISTANCE
 • Heat resistant spores and usual antiseptics.
 • survive autoclaving at 121 C for 10-15 minutes.
 • resistant to phenol and other chemical agents.
RESERVOIRS
• soil
• intestine
• feces of livestocks
• Manure-treated soil
• skin surfaces
• contaminated heroin

4. SENSITIVITY
 • Organism is sensitive to heat.
 • Sensitive to oxygen
IMMUNITY
• Temporary Immunity

5. EPIDEMIOLOGY
 • acute, often fatal, disease caused by an
exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani.
 • rigidity and convulsive spasms of skeletal muscles.
 • involves the jaw (lockjaw) and neck and then
becomes generalized.

6. PATHOGENESIS
 • Enters through the wound.
 • Spores germinate in the presence of anaerobic
condition.
 Carried intra - axonally to CNS
 • Tetanospasmin spread in through blood and
lymphatic.
 • Interferes with release of neurotransmitters,
blocking inhibitor impulses.

7. SYMPTOMS
 Risus sardonicus
 Opisthotomus
 Extreme muscles spasms
 Drooling
 Hydrophobia

8. INCUBATION PERIOD
 • 6 to 10 days (variable).
 • Neonatal tetanus, symptoms usually appear from 4 to 14
days after birth.

9. Man Suffering from Tetanus

10. CLASSES
 • LOCAL (Uncommon)
 • CEPHALIC (Rare)
 • GENERALIZED (Common)

11. LOCAL
 • Persistent contraction of muscles in the same
anatomic area as the injury.
 • Precede the onset of generalized tetanus, but is
generally milder.
 • 1% of cases are fatal.

12. CEPHALIC
 • Occurs with otitis media (ear infections)
 • Head injuries.
 • Involvement of the cranial nerves, especially in the
facial area.

13. GENERALIZED
 • Trismus
 • stiffness of the neck and difficulty in swallowing
 • rigidity of abdominal muscles.
 • rise of 2°-4°C above normal temp.
 • sweating and elevated blood pressure
 • episodic rapid heart rate
 • Spasms

14. NEONATAL TETANUS
 • Occurs in infant
 • infection of the unhealed umbilical
 • estimated >270,000 deaths worldwide per year.

15. VIROLENCE FACTOR
 • Tetanospasmin
 • Mechanism of Action

16. PREVENTION & CONTROL
 Medical Management
 Tetanus immune globulin (TIG)
 Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG)
 Wound Management
 proper immunization
DIAGNOSIS
Primarily a clinical diagnosis;
Organism rarely isolated