23 year old male gets a tattoo with a dirty needle infecting him with clostridium tetani. He can hardly speak and is having spasms.

Background

Exocytosis

  1. Vesicles containing molecules are transported from within the cell to the cell membrane
  1. The vesicle membrane attaches to the cell membrane
  1. Fusion of the vesicle membrane with the cell membrane releases the vesicle contents outside the cell

Trafficking: Vesicles are transported to the cell membrane along microtubules of the cytoskeleton.

Tethering: Upon reaching the cell membrane, the vesicle becomes linked to and pulled into contact with the cell membrane

Docking: Involves the attachment of the vesicle membrane with the cell membrane.

Priming: Occurs in regulated exocytosis and not in constitutive exocytosis.

Fusion: Fully fuses with the cell membrane (complete). the vesicle temporarily fuses with the cell membrane long enough to create a fusion pore and releases its contents to the exterior of the cell.

Differences

Twitch

Summation

Tetany

Small muscle contractions in the body.

effects of impulses received at different places on the neuron add up so that the neuron may fire when such impulses are received simultaneously.

Consisting of the involuntary contraction of muscles, which may be caused by disorders

Neurotransmitters (muscle contractions)

Acetylcholine

Stimulates the beginning of the muscle contraction and movement

Clostridium Tetani

Toxin

Tetanolysin

Tetanospasmin

can affect a variety of cells including erythrocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts, and platelets

produces by the vegetative cell of clostridium tetani in anaerobic conditions, causing tetanus.

Tetanus

binds to the presynaptic membrane of the neuromuscular junction, is internalized and transported retroaxonally to the spinal cord.

Neuromuscular Junction

blocks the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction.

Spasms often are protected and can cause death by means of severe resistant laryngospaspm and respiratory muscle failure.

The ability to inhibit lower motor neurons is disrupted, which can result in muscle rigidity and spasm

Chain of Events

  1. A nerve signal arrives at synaptic knob and stimulates voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
  1. Calcium stimulates exocytosis of the synaptic vesicles, which release ACh into the synaptic cleft.
  1. ACh diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to receptor proteins on the sarcolemma.
  1. Ligand-gates ion channels are opened and Na+ diffuses quickly into cell
  1. Areas of sarcolemma next to the motor end plates have voltage-gated ion channels that open in response to EPP.

6.A wave of action potentials spreads from the end plate in all directions.

  1. Action potentials open voltage-gated ion channels in the T tubules.
  1. Calcium binds to the troponin of the thin filaments
  1. The troponin-tropomyosin complex changes shape and sinks deeper into the groove of the thin filaments
  1. myosin head must have an ATP molecule bound to it to initiate the contraction base
  1. The cocked myosin binds to an exposed active site of the thin filament
  1. myosin releases ADP and phosphate and flexes into a bent
  1. Binding of ATP to myosin destabilizes the myosin-actin bond

Systems

Nervous system

Endocrine system

Immune system

Circulatory system

Lymphatic system

Effects

Spreads around the body

interferes with the signals traveling from the brain to the nerves in the spinal cord, then onto muscles

causes muscle spasms and stiffness

infection may spread to the brain and cause seizures

a blood vessel in the lung can become blocked and affect breathing and circulation

can cause breathing difficulties

severe muscle spasms can result in destruction of skeletal muscle which can cause protein to leak into the urine

this can cause severe kidney failure

Deadly

Can cause severe kidney failure

can cause blood vessels in the lungs to become blocked

can cause seizures

Brain damage due to lack of oxygen

affect breathing and circulation

can suffocate

Spasms

The bacteria (clostridium tetani) causes tetanus

Bacteria spores spreads to the central nervous systems and produce toxin called tetanospasmin

Toxin is a poison that blocks the nerve signals from your spinal cord to your muscles.

can lead to severe muscle spams

(Indirect)

Patient did not have vaccines for that bacterium

Received a tattoo with a dirty needle