Tetanus

[Sarah]

A painful and usually fatal disease, resulting generally from awound, and having as its principal symptom persistent spasm of thevoluntary muscles. When the muscles of the lower jaw are affected, itis called locked-jaw, or lickjaw, and it takes various names from thevarious incurvations of the body resulting from the spasm.

[Sarah]

is another for cool or rad

[Sarah]

A disease pretending to be a video game (In this case, Tetris).

[Magaret]

Tetanus results from a toxin produced by the anaerobic bacteria Clostridium tetani. The toxin makes muscles contract involuntarily and become rigid.

Tetanus usually develops after a wound or an injury that breaks the skin becomes contaminated.
Diagnosis is based on symptoms
Vaccination and appropriate wound care can prevent tetanus.
Treatment includes giving tetanus immune globulin to neutralize the toxin and treating symptoms until they resolve.

(See also Overview of Clostridial Infections.)
Clostridium tetani do not require oxygen to live. That is, they are anaerobes.
Tetanus is rare in the United States but is common in developing countries.
Clostridium tetani is present in soil and animal feces and can live there for years. Tetanus bacteria may enter the body through

Wounds contaminated with soil or feces (especially if the wound is not adequately cleaned)
Skin punctures by contaminated needles (such as those used to inject illegal drugs or to tattoo or do body piercing)

Sometimes the injury is so small that people do not even go to a doctor. Injuries that involve a foreign body (such as a splinter, dirt, or bullet fragments) and dead tissue (such as burns, frostbite, gangrene, or crush injuries) are more likely to cause tetanus.
Occasionally, tetanus results when the uterus is damaged during an induced abortion or childbirth. In developing countries, soil contamination of the stump of the umbilical cord can cause tetanus in newborns.
Tetanus bacteria produce spores. Spores are an inactive (dormant) form of bacteria. Spores enable bacteria to survive when environmental conditions are difficult. When conditions are favorable, spores grow into bacteria. Clostridium tetani bacteria produce tetanus toxins. These toxins travel throughout the body and prevent certain nerves from sending signals to other nerves. As a result, muscles contract involuntarily, causing stiffness and painful muscle spasms.
Vaccination during childhood plus booster doses every 10 years during adulthood can prevent tetanus. Thus, tetanus occurs mainly in people who have not been vaccinated or not kept their vaccinations up to date. This situation is more common in developing countries. In the United States, the risk of developing tetanus is high for the following:

People who inject drugs
People over 60 because immunity decreases over time
People who were never given the primary series of tetanus vaccines, which is part of routine childhood vaccination

[Mark Zuckerberg]

A bacterial disease marked by rigidity and spasms of the voluntary muscles.

[Magaret]

a serious disease caused by bacteria entering the human body through small cuts, causing the muscles, especially around the mouth, to become tight and stop working