Evidence of Bacterial Contamination of money Notes During Circulation in the City of Tripoli, Libya

By: Raja Moman , Hana Ben Ibrahim , Wafa Sasi , Mohamed Alsagher

Faculty of Pharmacy - University of Tripoli

Issue: Vol 23 |First Issue | 2021

article language: English

Abstract:

We always hear the word says "money is dirty" and bacteria are everywhere in the environment and most of these microbes are harmless to humans but should the ones on money worry us? To accomplish this task, forty currently used notes samples were collected from three different areas in Tripoli city, Libya, namely public mini buses (10 samples), vegetable local market (10 samples) and harbor fish market (20 samples). These were compared with standard twenty samples note currently used from two big famous banks in Tripoli city; Alwahda bank (10 samples) and Aluma bank (10 samples). Therefor a total of 60 samples of 250 dirham notes were tested for bacterial contamination. Each currency note from collected samples was inoculated into a jar containing nutrient broth and incubated for 24 hours at 37^o^C and then any bacterial growth was streaked onto selective agar plates, these plates were examined for their bacteriological quality by routine microbiological methods in addition to biochemical bacterial identification systems. Results showed that more than 70% of money notes used by public are contaminated. The 60 quarter-Dinar notes yielded 13 bacterial isolates. Bacterial colonies were isolated from 46 notes (76.7%). 8 notes (17.4%) yielded Enterobacter cloacae, 2 notes (4.3%) Citrobacterdiversus, 6 notes (13%) Enterobacter sakazakii, 3 notes each (6.5%) of Staphylococcus species and E. coli 2, 6 notes (13%) Enterobacter agglomerans, 2 notes (4.3%) one note each (2.2%) of Klebsiella oznenae and Citrobacterfreundii, 4 notes (8.7%) non fermenting species and about 8 notes (17.4%) of other non-identified species by routine microbiological techniques. Fourteen notes (23.3%) had no significant growth. Notably paper currency notes collected from the two banks were contaminated with the same bacteria.