- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is chairman of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, a consultant and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society of America and a fellow with the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
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Question
Tetanus shots: Is it risky to receive 'extra' boosters?
What happens if you get tetanus shots too close together? I was in the emergency room recently after stepping on a nail. I couldn't recall when I last had a tetanus shot, so the doctor gave me one. Later, I remembered that I had received a tetanus shot last year.
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
You did the right thing by getting a tetanus shot in that situation. Vaccination is the best way to prevent tetanus — a serious disease caused by a bacterial toxin that affects the nervous system. Tetanus bacterial spores can enter your body through any cut or scratch. But deep puncture wounds, such as from stepping on a nail, are most susceptible to tetanus infection.
An adult who's never been immunized against tetanus should complete the initial tetanus series of three tetanus shots. The first two shots are given at least four weeks apart, and the third shot is given six to 12 months after the second shot. After the initial tetanus series, booster shots are recommended every 10 years. Although getting tetanus shots more frequently generally isn't harmful, it may increase the risk of soreness or redness at the injection site.
If you experience a puncture wound and it's been more than five years since your last tetanus shot — or you can't remember when you had your last tetanus shot — it's best to get the booster shot.
- Tetanus disease in-short (lockjaw). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/tetanus/in-short-both.htm#who. Accessed Sept. 16, 2008.
- Sexton DJ. Tetanus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2008.
- Hibberd PL. Tetanus-diphtheria toxoid vaccination in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2008.
