Tetanus: pathogens, infection, vaccinations

The causative agent of tetanus is an insignificant in size living organism like a wand and is called a stick of Monastyrsky-Nikolayer. This microorganism produces a strong poison, a tetanus toxin that causes convulsions in a person that cover all muscle groups. Especially noticeable convulsive compression of the jaws, so strong that the patient can neither drink nor eat. From convulsions the body of a man bends in an arc;The painful cramps cover the respiratory muscles. The contraction of the muscles of the face gives him an expression of a frozen grin. Prolonged convulsive contraction of the muscles creates, as it were, the petrification of the patient's body, he seems to be dumbfounded. Therefore, the disease is called tetanus.

The tetanus stick remains in nature for a long time. If it falls into unfavorable conditions, it changes its form. At the end of it there is a thickening, which gives it the shape of a drumstick. In this form it is called a sporebear. Thickening represents a spore - a form of existence of tetanus microbe. The spore is unpretentious, resistant to cold and heat and persists in the soil for years. ..

Especially a lot of spores can be found on pastures. Spores here are located on plants and grasses, on the very surface of the soil and in its deep layers. Animals, feeding on grass and other plants, swallow with them and spores, and then allocate them with feces, contaminating new plots of land, pastures. Prior to the development of road transport, bridge cities were also contaminated by disputes.

They were brought here with feces of horses, donkeys, mules, camels and other animals.

But if there is so much dispute, how can you protect yourself from them, what to do for this?

Spores, getting on intact human skin, do not cause disease. Another thing is if the spores are brought into the body with the earth in case of trauma related to damage to the skin or mucous membranes. In the depths of the crushed tissues, where there is no access to oxygen, which hinders the vital activity of tetanus microbes, favorable conditions are created for the transformation of spores into rods. They actively multiply and release so much toxin that the disease comes.

Tetanus infection is most common in people after injuries, bruises, abrasions, fractures that occurred in fields, pastures, gardens, in stables, after animal bites. In some cases, tetanus develops after a "trifle" - scratches, abrasions, injections, wounds, stone, bone.

Among the most dangerous forms of tetanus, resulting in death, is tetanus, developing after a criminal, clandestine abortion, which is usually performed in unsanitary conditions.

In the recent past, tetanus is a terrible scourge of humanity. Now he is defeated by the forces of science. That is why the cases when it does appear are especially disturbing and sad. But this should not be. The most reliable means of combating it are timely tetanus vaccinations.

Vaccinations are carried out specially treated, weakened with formalin and heat, tetanus toxin, which is called an anatoxin.

The toxic properties of an anatoxin are suppressed, but it retains a valuable property of inducing the formation of antibodies that can prevent the development of the disease. Such vaccinations are made 2 times with a break of 2-3 weeks. Then they repeat in a year and again in 2-3 years.

This way you can create immunity for life.

In case of injuries, especially with contaminated wounds in the home, there are precautions: 1 to 2 doses( 1500-3000 units) of anti-tetanus serum in which the antibodies are in ready form are injected, and after 2-3 hours one milliliter of toxoid, And after 6-7 days another two milliliters of toxoid. Such an intervention will quickly provide the body with antibodies and simultaneously promotes the production of antibodies by the body itself. This saves tetanus infected.

Recently, vaccines have been used for prophylactic vaccinations. This is the name of the mixed vaccine for simultaneous vaccinations against two, three, four and even five infectious diseases. It is possible, for example, to simultaneously vaccinate children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus;Can be vaccinated against typhoid fever, paratyphoid, typhus, tetanus. The importance of vaccinations is great, one should not abandon them under various pretexts, often because of fear of temporary one-day sickness.