You asked, we’re answering: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines

Toxoid Vaccine: Tetanus

Step 1Use the growth medium to grow new copies of the Clostridium tetani bacteria.   With a toxoid vaccine, the goal is to condition the immune system to combat not an invading virus or bacteria but rather a toxin produced by that invading virus or bacteria. The tetanus shot is such a vaccine. Tetanus is a disease caused by toxins created by the bacteria Clostridium tetani. The vaccine conditions the body's immune system to eliminate these toxins.

To produce the vaccine, you first need to grow many copies of the Clostridium tetani bacteria.

Step 2Isolate the toxins with the purifier.   While in the growth medium, the bacterial cells produce the toxin, which are toxic molecules that are often released by the cells.

To produce the vaccine, you'll need to separate these molecules from the bacteria and the growth medium.

Step 3Add aluminum salts to the purified toxins.   In this state, the toxin would be harmful to the human body. To make the vaccine, it needs to be neutralized.

Sometimes formaldehyde is used to neutralize toxins. For your vaccine, you'll use aluminum salts to decrease its harmful effects.

Step 4Fill the syringe with the treated toxins.   The toxin would work as a vaccine now, but it wouldn't stimulate a strong immune response. To increase the response, an "adjuvant" is added to the vaccine.

For the tetanus vaccine, another vaccine acts as the adjuvant. This other vaccine inoculates against pertussis. The vaccine for diphtheria—also a toxoid vaccine—is also often added to the tetanus/pertussis combo, making for the DPT vaccine.

DoneThe tetanus vaccine is complete.

Select another pathogen.

  Congratulations. You have produced a toxoid vaccine for tetanus.

As with other inactivated vaccines, there are disadvantages with toxoid vaccines. Even with the adjuvant, these vaccines do not produce a full immune response. Booster shots are needed to maintain the immunity.

A Possible Cause Of Tetanus After Vaccination.

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How To Remove A Splinter And What Happens If You Don't

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Following is a transcript of the video.

What happens if you leave a splinter in your skin for too long?

Splinters are a literal pain, removing them just causes more pain. But what happens if you leave a splinter in your skin?

You risk a dangerous infection. Since it's natural material, splinters carry bacteria and fungi. The risk is much less for pieces of glass, plastic, or metal. 

Woods and thorns also have natural oils in them. The immune system sees this as a threat, inflaming the skin around it.

Staphylococcus is a common splinter-related infection. Keep an eye out for visible streaks on the skin, fever, or chills.

Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani, another risky bacteria. It can cause tightness of the jaw, stiff muscles, and fever.

The rule of thumb is: if you can see the splinter, try to remove it.

Be sure to use clean tweezers. Disinfect the wound once the splinter has been removed. Don't forget to bandage it to avoid infection.

Your immune system will thank you!

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