ReviewToxins2013
Tetanus: pathophysiology, treatment, and the possibility of using botulinum toxin against tetanus-induced rigidity and spasms.
Review in Toxins, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 140 citations in OpenAlex.
- Delirium in tetanus patients: a review of clinical features, pathophysiology, and integrated management strategies.Annals of medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Prevention and treatment of tetanus in China: a comparative review against international standards.Infection · 2026Review
- Article
- Role of Microbial Toxins in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights and Future Perspectives.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Failure of tetanus immunoglobulin prophylaxis: a case report.World journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Tetanus Control in the United States and Global Disaster Settings: Public Health Disparities and Prevention Strategies.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- An unusual case of Clostridium tetani bacteraemia likely arising from a skin and soft tissue infection.Access microbiology · 2026Article
- Bridging immunization and oral health: a role for paediatric dentists in mitigating vaccine hesitancy in Africa.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Generalized Tetanus in an Unvaccinated Adolescent: A Case Report on Successful Management in a Resource-Limited Setting.International medical case reports journal · 2026Article
- Generalized Tetanus Associated With Malaria and Probable Meningitis in a 4-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report in Limbe Regional Hospital, Cameroon.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
- Injection site abscesses associated with commensal and environmental bacteria following intramuscular vaccination in horses.Veterinary and animal science · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing the Length of Emergency Intensive Care Unit Stay in Adult Tetanus Patients.International journal of general medicine · 2025Article
- An Unexpected Case of Generalized Tetanus.Cureus · 2024Article
- Anti-Tetanus Vaccination Is Associated with Reduced Occurrence and Slower Progression of Parkinson's Disease-A Retrospective Study.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Review
- Article
- Management and outcome of adult generalized tetanus in a Chinese tertiary hospital.Frontiers in public health · 2024Observational
- Clinical findings and outcome in feline tetanus: a multicentric retrospective study of 27 cases and review of the literature.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tetanus toxin, the product of Clostridium tetani, is the cause of tetanus symptoms. Tetanus toxin is taken up into terminals of lower motor neurons and transported axonally to the spinal cord and/or brainstem. Here the toxin moves trans-synaptically into inhibitory nerve terminals, where vesicular release of inhibitory neurotransmitters becomes blocked, leading to disinhibition of lower motor neurons. Muscle rigidity and spasms ensue, often manifesting as trismus/lockjaw, dysphagia, opistotonus, or rigidity and spasms of respiratory, laryngeal, and abdominal muscles, which may cause respiratory failure. Botulinum toxin, in contrast, largely remains in lower motor neuron terminals, inhibiting acetylcholine release and muscle activity. Therefore, botulinum toxin may reduce tetanus symptoms. Trismus may be treated with botulinum toxin injections into the masseter and temporalis muscles. This should probably be done early in the course of tetanus to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration, involuntary tongue biting, anorexia and dental caries. Other muscle groups are also amenable to botulinum toxin treatment. Six tetanus patients have been successfully treated with botulinum toxin A. This review discusses the use of botulinum toxin for tetanus in the context of the pathophysiology, symptomatology, and medical treatment of Clostridium tetani infection.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.