Hello, all. I have my sulcata tortoise of almost 21 years. I am moving soon and I need to know if sulcatas can contract tetanus. I have an area he can go, but it's known to have tetanus in the soil. If they can, then I'll get him protected from it.
Possibilty of infections
- Thread starter SheldonsBigBang
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Jan A
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum. That's a very interesting question & I have no idea what the answer is. I'll tag a few to see if anyone knows the answer. @zovick @Tom @Yvonne G @ZenHerper @wellington
Sorry, I would have no idea.
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Botulinum toxicity has been identified in sea turtles, so I would say: Yes, tortoises are potentially susceptible to developing tetanus from exposure to Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins.
www.jstor.org
Anaerobic Bacterial Infections in Reptiles on JSTOR
James S. Stewart, Anaerobic Bacterial Infections in Reptiles, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Jun., 1990), pp. 180-184
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@ZenHerperBotulinum toxicity has been identified in sea turtles, so I would say: Yes, tortoises are potentially susceptible to developing tetanus from exposure to Clostridium botulinum neurotoxins.
Anaerobic Bacterial Infections in Reptiles on JSTOR
James S. Stewart, Anaerobic Bacterial Infections in Reptiles, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Jun., 1990), pp. 180-184
Clostridium botulinum causes botulism, a type of food poisoning. Clostridium tetani causes tetanus, a muscle problem. They are two different bacteria species, but are in the same genus.
That being said, I know various mammals can get tetanus, but I have not heard of any reptiles getting it. I think it is primarily a disease of mammals.
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
There are bunches of species and the terminology gets swapped around.
There needs to be a definitive identification of the toxin-producing species present on this property.
There needs to be a definitive identification of the toxin-producing species present on this property.
I'm in agreement with @zovick
In all my years, I've never heard of tetanus causing any problem in any reptile. And further, isn't it potentially present everywhere? Sort of like salmonella? As a kid I was taught that you could get tetanus from stepping on a rusty nail. Didn't matter where in the country the nail was. I avoided stepping on rusty nails like my life depended on it.
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
The bacterial species are all over the place.
But it is concentrated blobs of their neurotoxic metabolic waste that is the issue. Their poo is what poisons.
Full sun for several hours does disintegrate the toxins on surfaces, but not where sun won't reach. (Rusty nail in a board, rotted guts inside a dead bird, etc..)
So Clostridial species in the ground are not such a big deal. But if animals have been developing tetanus from neurotoxins, it's necessary to know how many animals, over what period of time, associated with what particular area of the property...to what degree is the property potentially toxic?
Because Sea Turtles do develop neurologic symptoms when they ingest neurotoxins deposited on algae they graze (see references above), there is reason for some caution.
But it is concentrated blobs of their neurotoxic metabolic waste that is the issue. Their poo is what poisons.
Full sun for several hours does disintegrate the toxins on surfaces, but not where sun won't reach. (Rusty nail in a board, rotted guts inside a dead bird, etc..)
So Clostridial species in the ground are not such a big deal. But if animals have been developing tetanus from neurotoxins, it's necessary to know how many animals, over what period of time, associated with what particular area of the property...to what degree is the property potentially toxic?
Because Sea Turtles do develop neurologic symptoms when they ingest neurotoxins deposited on algae they graze (see references above), there is reason for some caution.
