[First isolation of Clostridium tetani from soils of Meseta Central, Costa Rica].

Clinical evidence has long pointed to the existence of Clostridium tetani in Costa Rica. Thirty soil samples were studied for clostridia, and two yielded six strains of C. tetani, four of which proved to be toxigenic when mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with the culture supernates. These four isolates could be neutralized when their toxic supernates were admixed with tetanus antitoxin.