THE MERCK MANUAL: The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapymultimedia

Topic

Tetanus

1 of 1 multimedia in this topic

Neonatal Tetanus

photo size: small | high

Neonatal Tetanus

Return to Topic

  • Tetanus
  • Neonatal tetanus most commonly affects infants born to nonimmune mothers. Exotoxin produced by Clostridium tetanigains entry to the circulation when the infant's umbilical cord is cut or the umbilical stump is cleaned in a nonsterile fashion. Generalized rigidity and spasm affect the child in the first 2 weeks of life and may be fatal.

    Image courtesy of the Public Health Image Library of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Audio
    Photographs
    Videos