U.S. researchers have discovered more than 3,000 types of bacteria on dollar bills, taken at a New York bank. Some of them quite puzzled the experts.
Scientists have long known that money is full of different bacteria,. However, researchers from New York University were rather surprised to find microorganisms living in the mouth and even the vagina among the 3,000 different types of all bacteria on dollar bills. Jane Carlton, the author of the study, said they had found live bacteria that you could get when using the money. This means that banknotes are a transmission link.
This study was part of a larger research project to track bacteria in New York. The authors have found out that a large number of bacteria causing pneumonia dwell on banknotes in winter, not in summer.
Among other bacteria living on money are the ones that can cause acne and other skin disorders. Certain dollar banknotes contained the genes resistant to antibiotics, such as MRSA (S. aureus). These resistance genes have become a disaster for modern medicine because of the uncontrolled use of antibiotics.
However, there is no reason for panic. Germs live on all surfaces around us, scientists emphasize. Do not worry too much, just wash your hands more often.
