Transcript Slide 1

Clostridium tetani
By: Vincent Medina
Scientific Name
Clostridium tetani
Classification
Strain~ There are currently eleven identified
strains of Clostridium tetani. (but I could not find
any specific strains)
Shape/Arrangement~ Bacillus (rod shaped),
Straphylo.
Metabolism
Clostridium tetani is an anaerobic
bacterium
Habitat
Clostridium tetani colonizes the
intestinal tract in humans and animals,
but is also found in soil.
Adaptations
Clostridium tetani bacteria feature two primary life
stages, sporular and vegetative. The vegetative
stage is highly anaerobic and is unable to survive
any exposure to oxygen. On the other hand, the
sporular form is quite hardy and can withstand
oxygen and other environmental factors.
Infecting wounds Clostridium tetani parasitizes its
host using extracellular excretions to degrade
surrounding organic material for fermentation.
As with the majority of bacteria, Clostridium tetani
reproduces asexually. Clostridium tetani’s growth
is exponential.
Gram Negative or Positive,
Endotoxin or Exotoxin
Clostridium tetani is gram positive which is an exotoxin.
Function/Impact on the
Environment
Clostridium tentani produces a potent
biological toxin, called tetanospasmin,
and is the cause of tetanus, a disease
characterized by painful muscular
spasms that may lead to respiratory
failure.
Other stuff
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Firmicutes
Class: Clostridia
Order: Clostridiales
Family: Clostridiaceae
Genus: Clostridium
Species: C. tetani
~thick peptidoglycan cellular wall
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/hale/bioT_EID/lectures/tetanus
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Dactive%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1
http://student.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit1/prostruct/diseases/ctetani/ctetani.html
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/unrein_bren/adaptation.htm