Clostridium tetani

Tetanus, a bacterium commonly found in soil, dust and manure, although it can survive anywhere. Unlike diphtheria, tetanus is not a contagious disease. Tetanus bacteria enter the body through cuts in the skin. Once infected, it can take anywhere from three to twenty-one days for symptoms to appear. Common tetanus symptoms include headache, crankiness, and spasms of the jaw muscles (often referred to as lockjaw).

The tetanus bacteria can create a toxin in the body, causing muscle spasms in the neck, arms, legs, and stomach as the toxin spreads throughout the body. Particularly in children, these muscle spasms can be so powerful that they can break bones. A person infected with tetanus may become so ill that they are placed in intensive care for several weeks. Although there are only about fifty cases of tetanus each year in the US, the fatality rate is thirty percent. Source: Parents Guide to Childhood Immunization, NIP Publications¹

Reference:
1. Parents Guide to Childhood Immunization, NIP Publications, http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/Parents-Guide/default.htm, Accessed May 2, 2002