Bacterial Contamination of DifferentTypes of Paper Currency in Iran During 2005

Backgrand and Aims: Paper currencies are widely exchanged for receiving goods and servicesthroughout our country as well as rest of the world. Money bills are used everywhere and in allcapacities, and are being exchanged among a lot of people during the period of their circulation.If some of these bills are infected with pathogenic bacteria, there will be a potential hazard for thewell-being and health of those who handle them. Contaminated money bills are potentially verydangerous to the health of humans. The aim of this research is to specify the bacterial load ofvarious types of collected bills from different regions in Iran.Method:This research is a descriptive, cross- sectional study. At first, 400 different papercurrencies from various provinces in Iran were collected. Banknotes were put into the bottlescontaining sterile water and then heated for 12-24 hours at the temperature of 37°C. Afterwards,the banknotes were removed by a sterile forceps and the remaining solution was incubated. Theseparated microbes were identified by using microbiologic methods.Results: Data analysis revealed that 46% of different types of paper currency were contaminatedwith Gram positive and 54% with Gram negative bacteria. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Grampositive cocci in particular Staphylococcus aureus were the most separated bacteria, which areknown as pathogens in various diseases in human body.Conclusion: These bacteria cause serious illnesses particularly in elder people, children andspecifically immuno-deficient patients. We concluded that paper money in this study wascontaminated. Replacement of money bills with credit/ debit cards may reduce the potentialhazards substantially