Tetanus disease is one of the most dramatic and globally prevalent diseases of humans and vertebrate animals. The manifestation of the disease, spastic paralysis, is caused by the second most poisonous substance known, the Tetanus toxin (Ref.1). The causative agent of Tetanus disease is C. tetani (Clostridium tetani), an anaerobic Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, whose natural habitat is soil, dust, and the intestinal tracts of various animals and which enters the host through wound sites. Comparative genomics reveals a remarkable capacity of C. tetani to rely on extensive sodium ion bioenergetics (Ref.2).
C. tetani anaerobically utilize amino acids as an energy source. It carries out fermentation of L-Serine if no additional Hydrogen donor or acceptor is present. The cell wall of [...]