Clostridium tetani is a rod-shaped, anaerobic, Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. It produces a potent biological toxin, tetanospasmin, which disrupts the normal functioning of the central nervous system of the animal, eventually causing unopposed muscle contractions and spasms. C. tetani is extremely hardy and is resistant to heat and most antiseptics. It is most commonly found as spores in soil or in the gastrointestinal tract of animals.
