I have had to get two tetanus shots in the last three years, thanks to a combination of rusty wire and a messy chicken coop. The last time it came up, it started me wondering: shouldn't we be vaccinating our animals against tetanus?
Unlike many other diseases which are caused by a species-specific viruses, tetanus is caused by the clostridium bacteria. When Clostridium tetani gets hold of a body, usually through a deep puncture wound, it produces a neurotoxin that causes the classic spasms and contractions that lead to the disease's colloquial name, "lockjaw."
It turns out that if I owned horses, I would probably already know the answer to my question. Horses and humans are both more vulnerable to tetanus than other animals. Horses frequently contract tetanus, often by stepping on a nail in the stall or barnyard. In fact, General Robert E. Lee's favorite horse Traveller died from tetanus contracted by stepping on a nail.
