Title |
Money and transmission of bacteria
|
---|---|
Published in |
Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, August 2013
|
DOI | 10.1186/2047-2994-2-22 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Habip Gedik, Timothy A Voss, Andreas Voss |
Abstract |
Money is one of the most frequently passed items in the world. The aim of this study was to ascertain the survival status of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci (VRE) on banknotes from different countries and the transmission of bacteria to people who come in contact with the banknotes. The survival rate was highest for the Romanian Leu yielding all three microorganisms used after both three and six hours of drying. Furthermore, the Leu was the only banknote to yield VRE after one day of drying. Other currencies either enabled the survival of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBL) and VRE (e.g. Euro), but not of MRSA, or the other way round (e.g. US Dollar). While a variety of factors such as community hygiene levels, people's behaviour, and antimicrobial resistance rates at community level obviously have influence on the transmission of resistant microorganisms, the type of banknote-paper may be an additional variable to consider. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 15 | 11% |
Japan | 11 | 8% |
Saudi Arabia | 10 | 8% |
Spain | 5 | 4% |
United Kingdom | 5 | 4% |
Romania | 4 | 3% |
Mexico | 2 | 2% |
Netherlands | 2 | 2% |
Germany | 2 | 2% |
Other | 15 | 11% |
Unknown | 62 | 47% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 108 | 81% |
Scientists | 14 | 11% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 6 | 5% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 5 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Japan | 1 | <1% |
Sri Lanka | 1 | <1% |
France | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 163 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 34 | 20% |
Student > Master | 28 | 17% |
Researcher | 12 | 7% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 12 | 7% |
Lecturer | 8 | 5% |
Other | 29 | 17% |
Unknown | 43 | 26% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 27 | 16% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 19 | 11% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 18 | 11% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 16 | 10% |
Engineering | 8 | 5% |
Other | 33 | 20% |
Unknown | 45 | 27% |