tetanus

noun2

1. •
   A serious and often fatal disease caused by the infection of an open wound with the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani, found in soil and the intestines and faeces of animals.
2. •
   A state of muscle tension caused by sustained contraction arising from a rapid series of nerve impulses which do not allow the muscle to relax.

   • We first saturated LTP in one pathway by applying repetitive tetani that had no effect on the control pathway […] — 1998