Greetings from Alaska!!
Tetanus is a species of Clostridium. Same genus you stick into your forehead so you don't look so surprised when you get tetanus (botox aka botulism aka Clostridium botulinum). With tetanus, don't think of spores as something released from the bacteria like fungal spores. Instead, think of the bacteria covering itself in wax (not really wax, just makes its surface waxier) and going to sleep until conditions are more favorable, like entering into your foot when you stop on a rusty (or non-rusty, doesn't matter) nail. Puncture wounds are particularly bad for tetanus because it bypasses all that epithelial (skin) tissue and puts it nice and cozy inside your flesh where it can wake up and start making tetanus toxin--bad stuff. Clostridia are everywhere, in all sorts of soil, in your stomach (different species, hopefully), and you come into a lot of contact with them. For the most part, your skin and immune system keep them out if you, unless you eat dirt or step on something sharp. Hope that helps! Tetanus vaccine is quite effective, but recommneded every 10 years or so. Not good for people like me that only have a one year memory ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Alaska, are the salmon running?
