Please help (microbio case)?

A 62 year old botanist and horticulturist was admiring her garden of lilies when she spotted a weed in the midst of her flowers. She had left her gloves in the house. Unfortunately when she went to remove the offensive weed, the tiny thorny base gashed her hand. She immediately went into the house and washed the wound and added some topical antibiotic just in case. However, within a day she noticed a puffy red swelling around the gash. By the second day she became concerned when she awoke to find that when she tried to get up out of bed she found walking difficult. She immediately called her son who came to take her to the ER of the local Virtua Hospital immediately. By the time she reached the hospital she began to experience difficulty with speech and muscle spasms. The doctor inspected the wound site and noted the now severe swelling. He was more concerned by his patient鈥檚 growing respiratory distress and acute muscle spasms.

The physician contacted the woman鈥檚 primary care give. He found that she had not received a Tetanus booster in more than ten years. Troubled by this information, he immediately incubated his patient and administered counter measures.

Case Study Questions

1. What is the immunization the patient should have received? What is the recommended
period for booster shots.
2. The causative agent for this disease is ___________________________.
3. What are the identifying characteristics of this organism?
4. How did the organisms enter the hand of the gardener?
5. What causes the paralysis?
6. What other organisms belong to this Genus that are medically significant? Describe at
least three.

1. Tetanus booster would have helped. I don't know the period as I'm no doctor.
2. Clostridium tetani
3. Gram +, Terminal Sporulating bacillus, obligate anaerobe
4. Manure used as fertilizer? From soil is another possibility. The spores enter the bloodstream after she gets cut by the thorn.
5. Tetanospasmin or tetanolysin (probably just the first)
6. Clostridium perfringens, C. difficile, C. botulinum