Tetanus Case Studies

Tetanus is a neuromuscular disease caused by an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacillus called Clostridium tetani, a species of bacteria of the Clostridium genus, that produces a powerful neurotoxin called tetanospasmin The most common first symptom of tetanus is spasms or tightening of the jaw muscles referred to as "lockjaw". Other symptoms include headaches, sudden muscle spasms-often in the stomach, sweating and fever, painful muscle stiffness throughout the body, difficulty swallowing, seizures, fast heart rate and high blood pressure Tetanus is preventable through vaccination and is unique among the vaccine preventable diseases because it cannot be transmitted person-to-person Transmission of tetanus occurs when spores of C. tetani get into the body through a break in the skin and
The average incubation period is 10 days and most cases occur within 14 days. Usually, shorter incubation periods occur with more contamination of the wound, higher severity of the disease, and a worse disease prognosis.

Diagnosis of tetanus is made by a doctor examining a patient and looking for symptoms, no lab tests are able to confirm tetanus. Tetanus is a medical emergency and the patient requires hospitalization, immediate treatment with tetanus immune globulin (TIG), drugs to help muscle spasms, vigorous wound care, antibiotics, and a tetanus vaccine. Depending on the severity of the infection, a machine may be needed to assist in breathing . Complications of tetanus include laryngospasm which is uncontrolled muscular tightening of the vocal cords, a fracture which is a break in the bone, hosptal- aquired infections, pulmonary embolism which is a block in one of the arteries in the lungs by a blood clot that traveled from somewhere else in the body, and breathing difficulty that could lead to death. 10-20% of cases of tetanus are