Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases

Tetanus and Parkinson’s Disease

By Rebecca Castor

Tetanus : Terms

O Lockjaw: another name/nickname for Tetanus

O Toxins: poison produced by an organism such as bacteria.

O Clostridium tetani: the specific bacteria which creates the toxin which causes Tetanus.

O Incubation period: the period of time between infection of antibodies and the appearance of symptoms.

O Antitoxin: an antibody which counteracts a toxin

O Bacillus: specific type of bacteria.

Cause and Transmission

O Caused by toxins produced in the bacteria Clostridium Tetani.

O Enter the body through open cuts/wounds

O Clostridium Tetani grows in dust and dirt, thriving in conditions with minimal air flow.

Clostridium Tetani bacteriaCommon locations for Clostridium Tetani are old nails and rusty objects

SymptomsO Symptoms can occur after 8-10days or several

weeks after infection. This period of time is called the ‘incubation period’ Including:

O Initially: trouble operating the mouth swallowing (Hence the nickname Lockjaw)

O Shortly after: all muscles in the body tighten and spasm which may interfere with breathing.

O If untreated: victim may die from heat exhaustion or suffer from suffocation from not being able to breath sufficient oxygen.

Minor SymptomsO Sore throatO IrritabilityO RestlessnessO FeverO Exaggerated reflexesO Profuse sweatingO HeadachesO Feeling depressesO Chills

TreatmentO If tetanus develops antitoxin injections can

be administered which contains antibodies to kill the original invading toxin.

O Muscle relaxants such as Diazepam to reduce spasms

O In severe cases a tracheotomy can occur: artifically opening the trachea to ensure the patient can breath (as mouth doesn’t function correctly).

PreventionO Immunization: injections of tetanus toxoid:

specifically treated toxins. Common Vaccine name called DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping cough)).

O Thoroughly cleaning and treating wounds also reduces the risk of infection from bacteria.

Incidence

Per 100,000 inhabitants of a country

Tetanus notifications and hospitalisation, Australia 1993-

2005

Tetanus notifications, hospitalisations and deaths, Australia 2002-2005 – by age

category

• 0% Death rate in Australia• Low rates of infection• Highest rates for 60years and over

Parkinson’s Disease : Terms

O Dopamine: neurotransmitter Chemical that carries messages from nerve cell to nerve cell. Essential for smooth, coordinated body movements.

O Substantia Nigra: region of the brain which contains neuronal cells to create Dopamine.

O Parkinsonism: the group of disorders which contain similar symptoms. However as there is no set cause for Parkinson’s Parkinsonism covers all stages of the disease.

O Early Onset Parkinson’s: the name given to people who suffer from Parkinson’s below the age of approx. 50

Cause and Transmission

O Neuronal cell degeneration. These cells create Dopamine.

O Dopamine is created in the Substantia Nigra, a region of the brain.

O Loss of Dopamine disrupts communications pathways among nerves which control movement.

Substantia Nigra

SymptomsO Common Symptoms:

O TremorsO Walks with a shuffleO Slowness in movement

O Accompanying symptoms:O Difficulty with certain movementsO Face growing rigid: masklike expressionO Trouble rising from a chairO Physiological effects: depression and dementiaO Serious disabilityO Postural instability

TreatmentOnce the degeneration of neurons has begun,

Parkinson’s cannot be stopped or removed from the body, only controlled and minimised.

O Replacing lost dopamine by a drug called Levodopa which converts surviving nerve cells to dopamineO Provides a dramatic improvement to symptomsO Effectiveness of Levodopa reduces after timeO Troubling side effects: abnormal movement, changes

in muscle control, sleepless, vivid nightmares, hallucinations, confusion.

PreventionO No definite cause for Parkinson’s

diseaseO Cannot be prevented through

immunization or procedures due to unknown causes

O Parkinson’s disease can only be treated after the process of degeneration has begun in the body, to control symptoms and slow the progress of the disease.

Incidence

Cases of Parkinson’s disease per 100000 residents of a Country

Incidence StatisticsO Age related illness, which generally effects

people between 50-70 years oldO Early Onset Parkinson’s – people below 40-50O Across Australian studies there is a general

trend for makes to suffer Parkinson’s rather than females

O It is estimated to effect between 38300-64000 people in Australia – exact numbers are unavailable due to symptoms sometimes being ‘invisible’ to diagnostic testing.

Projected worldwide prevalence

Resources UsedO Tetanus:

O World Book Online - TetanusO Geographical Distribution of Tetanus in the World,

1951-60, by B. BytchenkoO Continuing Education in Anaesthesia, Critical Care and

Pain - TetanusO Centres for Disease Control and PreventionO WikipediaO New Scientist O www. health.gov.au

O Parkinson’s Disease:O www.parkinsons.org.auO World Book OnlineO Australia's Health 2012, Australian Institute of Health

and Welfare (Australian Government)