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Old 29-07-2006, 10:31 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Nick Maclaren Nick Maclaren is offline
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Default Tetanus every 5-10 years - Please Read - Important!


In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
|
| Given the fact that the main source of tetanus spores largely dried up
| over a century back, the number of viable ones much be dropping off.
|
| ???
|
| The lower incidence in the UK today, surely reflects widespread
| human vaccination.

No. Even if I am wrong (see below), a more important factor would be
that a negligible proportion of people work on the land nowadays, and
a small proportion of even those work work on land used for livestock.

| www.nathnac.org/pro/factsheets/tetanus.htm
|
| says
|
| "Tetanus spores are present in the intestine and dung of horses, sheep,
| cattle, dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs and chickens, and are passed into
| soil via faeces, making them ubiquitous in the environment."

My understanding is that tetanus does not reproduce in the intestine of
mammals, but infects them, and produces spores as the dead body decomposes.
That source dried up over a century back.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.