Abstract
A 60-year-old man, who had a trauma with a bamboo broom to the left forearm ten days before admission, developed myotonia in his left arm, neck stiffness, and trismus. A scab had already formed over the wound. Tetanus was clinically diagnosed and he was sedated, ventilated, and given circulatory support. He was also initially treated with antibiotics and 3,000 units of tetanus immune globulin. Debridement of the wound site was performed four days after admission because of continued mild swelling, and an intracorporeal foreign body was found. Clostridium tetani was isolated from the foreign body despite the patient receiving antibiotics. He was discharged on day 55. To the best of our knowledge, isolation of Clostridium tetani is rare, and this is the first case of Clostridium tetani isolation from an intracorporeal foreign body while using antibiotics. If the foreign body had not been found, the clinical symptoms might have been exacerbated or protracted. In Tetanus cases, wound debridement should be performed for therapeutic purposes even when wounds are in advanced stages of healing.
