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Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2020; 32(2); 184-191; doi: 10.1177/1040638720906814

Tetanus in animals.

Abstract: Tetanus is a neurologic disease of humans and animals characterized by spastic paralysis. Tetanus is caused by tetanus toxin (TeNT) produced by Clostridium tetani, an environmental soilborne, gram-positive, sporulating bacterium. The disease most often results from wound contamination by soil containing C. tetani spores. Horses, sheep, and humans are highly sensitive to TeNT, whereas cattle, dogs, and cats are more resistant. The diagnosis of tetanus is mainly based on the characteristic clinical signs. Identification of C. tetani at the wound site is often difficult.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-18 PubMed ID: 32070229PubMed Central: PMC7081504DOI: 10.1177/1040638720906814Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study presents an overview of Tetanus: a neurological disease affecting humans and animals, caused by the toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetanii, which mostly infects via contaminated wounds. The paper provides detail on varying susceptibility of species to the toxin and the difficulties in diagnosing the disease.

Overview of Tetanus

  • Tetanus is defined as a neurological disease that impacts both humans and animals and is characterized by spastic paralysis, a condition where the muscles constantly contract causing stiffness or tightness which can interfere with normal movement.
  • The cause of Tetanus is a toxin named TeNT (Tetanus toxin) produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. This bacteria is soilborne, gram-positive and can produce spores.

Transmission of Tetanus

  • The disease generally occurs from a contamination of wounds with the soil that houses these bacterial spores.
  • Once the spores make entry into a host body through an open wound, they turn into bacteria that produce the toxin causing the disease.

Sensitivity of Species to Tetanus

  • Horses, sheep, and humans are noted to be highly vulnerable to TeNT. These species exhibit a high sensitivity towards the bacteria, and can get severely affected by it.
  • On the other hand, cattle, dogs, and cats show more resistance to this toxin, illustrating that the effects of tetanus can significantly vary depending on the species.

Diagnosis of Tetanus

  • The diagnosis of Tetanus primarily depends on the identification of distinct clinical signs related to the disease.
  • However, the process is often complicated as pinpointing the presence of Clostridium tetani at the wound site can be challenging, making the diagnosis difficult.

Cite This Article

APA
Popoff MR. (2020). Tetanus in animals. J Vet Diagn Invest, 32(2), 184-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638720906814

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
ISSN: 1943-4936
NlmUniqueID: 9011490
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 32
Issue: 2
Pages: 184-191

Researcher Affiliations

Popoff, Michel R
  • Bacterial Toxins, Institut Pasteur, Paris, Cedex, France.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Domestic
  • Clostridium tetani / physiology
  • Mammals
  • Tetanus / diagnosis
  • Tetanus / microbiology
  • Tetanus / veterinary

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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