Abstract:
Paper currency is a highly exchangeable material. Different studies identified
various pathogenic bacteria on paper currencies like S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella
spp. However, a few studies were conducted in Ethiopia on bacterial contamination of paper
currency, their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, and associated factors from the food handlers.
Objective:To assess magnitude, associated factors, and antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates
from paper currency notes in transaction by food handlers in Bale Goba, South Eastern Ethiopia.
Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 346 paper currency
notes with denominations of 5,10, and 100 Ethiopian birrs in the hands of 115 food handlers from
April 17 to July 17, 2021. Data on socio-demographics and bevavioral factors were collected by
face-to-face interviews. The samples were collected by letting the selected individuals drop a
selected currency note into sterile polythene bags. Then the Swab from each currency note
were cultured on blood, MacConkey agar, xylose lysine deoxycholate agar, and Mannitol salt agar
and antimicrobial susceptibility were made by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Data were
analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science version 20.0. A p-value <0.05 was considered
statistically significant.
Result: A total of 340 (98.3%) (95%, CI: 96.3,99.2) of currency notes were contaminated with
bacteria. About 66.5% (95% CI: 61.3,71.2) of total collected currency notes were contaminated
with potentially pathogen that includes S. aureus, E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella spp.,
Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shigella spp. Those currency notes in the hands of
food handlers who are male, age-category <=25, educational status=<primary school, wetting of
finger with saliva to count money, touching money while eating, having no handwashing practice
after toilet and before eating and preparing a meal, and do not disinfecting hands with sanitizer
after touching money were highly contaminated with enteric pathogens (p-value<0.05). High
percentage gram-positive and gram-negative isolates were resistant to Tetracycline (35.1%); and
Ampicillin (51.0%). The overall magnitude of multi-drug resistance was 17.6%.
Conclusion: More than half percent of studied paper currency notes were contaminated with the
potentially pathogenic bacteria. Almost one-fifth of isolates were multidrug-resistant. High
pathogenic bacteria were found in paper currency notes of food handlers who do not washing their
hands after toilet, before eating and preparing food.
