Clostridium tetani introduced through a puncture wound bypasses our natural immune defenses and flows directly into the bloodstream. In that way a tetanus vaccine is actually very similar to the most dangerous way a person can encounter tetanus – through a puncture wound! When we inject tetanus into an individual we are simulating the wrong process – the “sneak attack” on the bloodstream which overwhelms the body instead of the slow exposure through ingestion that yields immunity.

Normally when we encounter Clostridium tetani it enters our body through our mouth or nose – by breathing dust particles that contain it or eating food that has retained some from the soil it was grown in. However, unlike with puncture wounds, ingested Clostridium tetani is unable to produce large amounts tetanospasmin, the potent neurotoxin that causes the muscle spasms and fatalities associated with tetanus infection.

In fact – and I’ll bet this is something else you won’t hear at your local pedi’s – it appears that gradual exposure to tetanus in this way may create natural immunity.

Tetanus Toxoid = Vaccine

Tetanus Immunoglobulin = Anti-Toxin