Clostridium tetani
Renshaw cells are also the target of the toxin of "Clostridium tetani", a Gram positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that lives in the soil, and causes tetanus. When wounds are contaminated with "C. tetani", the toxin travels to the spinal cord where it inhibits the release of glycine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, from Renshaw cells. As a result, alpha motor neurons become hyperactive, and muscles constantly contract.