For a little peace of mind and a big effort in preventative medicine, Diane Melvin of Rapid City recently went to her doctor and got a tetanus shot.

The Journey Museum education director set out to avoid a multitude of unpleasant symptoms including lockjaw after Pennington County horticulturalist Bill Keck and Master Gardener Cathie Draine talked to gardening volunteers about the prevalence of the tetanus bacteria found not only on rusty nails or barbed wire, but also in soils, organic fertilizers and whatever comes into contact with the bacteria.

Both experts agreed and highly recommended tetanus shots before allowing volunteers into the gardens, Melvin said.

"Since I dig in my own garden at home, I went out and got a shot immediately," she said. "So did my husband."

Dr. Robert Preston of RapidCare Medical and Occupational Health Center said the preventative step of a tetanus booster shot should be taken by more than backyard gardeners.

"Everyone should keep their booster up,

especially people who handle animals,

livestock, welders or carpenters … any individual where they're often getting wounds," he said.

The disease is rare in the United States, with less than 100 cases of tetanus reported annually. The best defense against tetanus is prevention, according to www.mayoclinic.com.

The native (C. tetani) bacteria is found in soil, vegetation, mulch, even claws of pets contaminated from animal waste. It is usually transmitted through an open wound, splinters, thorns, or a scratch from a contaminated wire, or by handling soil (including that in potted plants) or some other way.

"If the skin has been burned from a stove or curling iron, you can contaminate it. Leg ulcers can also be infected," Preston said of the infection.

"If they cut their hand or get a poke with a thorn, they could contract it that way," Preston said.

The tetanus shot lasts 10 years. But if a person is cut or receives a dirty wound, they should get a booster every five years. If a person has allergies, Preston says they should tell their doctor before getting their shot as they may react to its preservative.

The shot costs $27. The majority of those affected by tetanus, 75 percent of the patients, are age 50 and older. It is often difficult to diagnose. Yet, once contracted and left untreated, its fatality rate is 25 to 50 percent.

"Generally, treatment is started too late," Preston said. "It's a very, very nasty organism."

He hastens to add that that the bacterium is very sensitive to penicillin. With the preventative inoculations, it is a rare disease to diagnose in the medical community. For less than $30, a simple shot can allay fears of contracting it, he said.

"It's a lot cheaper than a funeral," Preston said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com