Assessment of Microbial Contamination of Indian Currency Notes in Mathura City, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Money, whether in the form of coins or paper notes is perhaps the most widely handled article by people every day throughout the world. Paper currency can be contaminated by droplets during coughing, sneezing, touching with previously contaminated hands or other materials, and placement on a dirty surface. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify microorganisms contaminating Indian currency notes. Materials and Methods: A total of 66 currency notes were collected from 22 different places. Of 66 currency notes, 22 each were of INR 10, INR 50, and INR 100, respectively. The samples from each currency notes were collected with a sterile cotton swab dipped in 1 peptone water. Then the swab samples were subjected to laboratory analysis where they are incubated on a plate of blood agar media and McConkeys agar media. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was done by Kirby-Bauer method. Results: Of the 66 currency notes of three different denominations, 100\% of currency notes were found to be contaminated. A total of five species of bacteria were diagnosed in which 66 isolates were found from those contaminated notes. Culture positive rate was also found to be 100\%. Most frequent microorganism that was associated with all currency notes was Klebsiella 19 (28.8\%). Of all the 22 groups, the highest level of contamination was found in currency notes that were collected from beggars and slaughter houses. Conclusion: All the currency notes were found to be contaminated with 100\% culture positive rate. Therefore, protective measures should be taken to prevent diseases that can occur due to contamination of currency notes.