Sketchy Micro: Clostridium Tetani Flashcards
The Clostridia are obligate ______________.
anaerobes, meaning they cannot survive in the presence of oxygen (think of the guys wearing gas masks)
Like Bacillus anthracis, the Clostridia are ______________.
spore forming (think of the walnuts for the monkeys)
What is the classic injury associated with Clostridium tetani?
They’re spore-forming obligate anaerobes, so Clostridia often lie dormant on nails, barbed wire, or other sharp objects; when that punctures someone’s foot, it can get into a closed-off, anaerobic environment and proliferate.
(Think of the nails lying around the research lab.)
What kind of bacteria are Clostridia?
Gram-positive bacilli (like the violet gloves worn by the researchers)
A classic sign of Clostridium tetani infection is ________________.
risus sardonicus (forced, creepy smile due to spastic paralysis)
(Think of the monkey grinning in the corner.)
Similar to lock jaw, Clostridium tetani often causes ________________.
opisthotonus (arching of the back and unopposed extensor muscles)
Describe the path of tetanus toxin (also called tetanospasmin).
It passes retrograde up the motor neurons to the spinal cord and destroys the inhibitory interneurons.
What is the mechanism of tetanus toxin?
It cleaves snare proteins in inhibitory cells.
(Think of the monkey cleaving the trap in which stands the researcher with the G&G on his shirt –standing for GABA and glycine.)
Inhibitory interneurons are also called __________________.
Renshaw cells (like the monkey with the wrench and the saw)
The tetanus vaccine is ______________.
toxoid conjugated to protein; thus, we generate antibodies to the toxin
(Think of the syringe that the researcher is holding –it’s right next to the monkey who represents the toxin.)
