Studying
Cell Biology Preface | Introduction to Problem Solving | Problem Sets | Acknowledgments |
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2. (22 pts) Tetanus, or extreme muscle rigidity, refers to both a normal
and a pathological condition. Normally, a skeletal muscle fiber may be
kept in a fully contracted state for a brief period of time, by the rapid
"firing" of the nerve enervating that fiber: thus, during tetanic
stimulation, a high frequency of action potentials (AP's) travel down
the nerve to its synapse with the muscle fiber and result in constant
contraction. Widespread, unregulated tetanus can also be produced in many
muscles within an individual by the toxic secretion of the bacterium,
Clostridium tetani, growing anaerobically in a sealed wound.
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