Even in smaller wounds that are infected with Clostridium tetani, tetanospasmin toxin can travel through the peripheral nerves, retrograde and enter the central nervous system, the spinal cord.
When tetanospasmin produced in an infected wound attacks Renshaw cells in the spinal cord. It causes rigid muscles, and it does so by attacking the SNARE protein.
The SNARE protein helps release the vesicles from the Renshaw cells. And these vesicles contain GABA and glycine, which help prevent spasms and rigidity in the muscles. Even a small wound infected with Clostridium tetani can cause life threatening breathing problems and spasms so strong that the spine and bones fracture.
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