Tetanus and tetanus toxin

摘要

Tetanus is a disease of the nervous system with characteristic hyperactivity of the motor system. The causative agent is tetanus toxin, which is composed of two polypeptides, a light chain of about 50,000 dalton and a heavy chain of 100,000. It is said to act on the nerve-nerve snapses to alpha motoneurons in the spinal cord, and to block the release of nerve transmitter preferentially from inhibitory nerve terminal.