Clostridium Tetani, The Cuasative Agent Of Tetanus

Clostridium Tetani, the Causative Agent of Tetanus
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Clostridium Tetani, the Causative Agent of Tetanus
Introduction
Tetanus is a severe infection caused by Clostridium Tetani. Also known as lockjaw; tetanus can cause death if not treated immediately. The bacterium that causes Tetanus produces a toxic substance that affects the nervous system and the brain. This causes stiffness of the muscles. This is because the neurotoxin causes interference with the nerves that control the movement of the muscle. As a result, the infection causes difficulty in breathing, which can ultimately lead to death if not treated immediately. The tetanus vaccine exists, but it is not completely effective, although taking the vaccine is the best prevention approach. Tetanus infection can lead to stiff muscles and breathing problems. Sometimes, the situation can get out of control and cause death. The essay discusses Clostridium Tetani, which is the bacterium that causes tetanus.
Background Description of the Clostridium Tetani
The Clostridium tetani bacterium is mostly found in manure and soil. Most people get the infection after being cut by different objects or pricked by some objects found in open environments that often have rust. The cuts of pricks from the contaminated objects often lead to the infection of the wound. The infected wounds situation that can be fatal if medical attention is not received as soon as possible. There are about thirty tetanus cases in the United States every year (Seite, 2016). These cases include people who have not gotten the vaccination against tetanus and also those who have not boosted their shots after a period of every ten years. The treatment of tetanus requires antibiotics and injections so that the toxins can be flushed out of the body completely. However, prevention is better than cure and people need to make sure that they get vaccinated against tetanus to reduce the epidemic.
History of Clostridium Tetani
The bacterium can cause death if the disease, tetanus, is not treated immediately. The word tetanus is derived from the Greek word tetanus, which is another word for stretch. Tetanus is characterized by the rigidity of muscles and affects mostly the CNS. The cause of the disease was discovered in the year 1844 by Carle and Rattone. In 1889, after five years, Kitasato, a student, separated the bacterium and proved that it caused illnesses when injected into animals (Yu et al., 2014). The spores of the C. tetani bacterium are found almost everywhere, including in the animal intestines and the soil, to mention a few. The bacterium is found almost everywhere around the globe but is commonly found in areas that are densely populated. To be specific, their habitat is in hot and wet areas that have a soil rich in organic matter. The organism is mainly transmitted through infected wounds like stepping on a rusted object. You will get the infection if the object has penetrated through the skin.
Diagnosis and Microbiological characteristics of Clostridium tetani
Clostridium tetani is an aerobic spore-forming bacterium. This organism has spores that look like a drumstick. The vegetative cells are shaped in the form of a rod and occur in pairs. The organism is Gram positive in g...