Tetanus begins when spores of ''Clostridium tetani'' enter damaged tissue. The spores transform into rod-shaped bacteria and produce the neurotoxin tetanospasmin (also known as tetanus toxin).
This toxin is inactive inside the bacteria, but when the bacteria dies, it is released and activated by proteases. Active tetanospasmin is carried by retrograde axonal transport to the spinal cord and brain stem where it binds irreversibly to receptors at these sites. which in turn blocks neurotransmission.
Ultimately, this produces the symptoms of the disease. Damaged upper motor neurons can no longer inhibit lower motor neurons, plus they cannot control reflex responses to afferent sensory stimuli.
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"Tetanus"
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