Some people pay cash to stick to a tight budget. While a sound financial tactic, it may not be healthy -- researchers found that paper money is a nesting ground for harmful and disease-causing bacteria.
In a yet-unpublished study described by its authors from the New York University's Dirty Money Project as the first comprehensive study of DNA on $1 bills, researchers analyzed the genetic materials found on $1 bills and discovered that it has more bacteria than previously seen in earlier studies that analyzed samples using a microscope.
The researchers found 3,000 types of bacteria on $1 bills which could be explained by the number of times that money is typically handed down from one person to another. Although most of these bacteria are harmless, the researchers found that the currency also carries DNA from drug-resistant microorganisms. The bills people typically carry in their wallet may also even carry bacteria that cause life-threatening disease.
Study researcher Jane Carlton, director of genome sequencing at the New York University's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, and her colleagues said that by sequencing the DNA found on the 80 $1 bills from a bank in Manhattan, they found quite a number of bacteria, viruses, pathogens and fungi.
The researchers said the bills they sampled contain Staphylococcus aureus, which commonly causes food poisoning, boils, pimples and sinusitis, a type of respiratory disease. The bills also contain E.coli which is known to cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. The researchers also found traces of anthrax DNA.
"Now we know that viable bacteria are on money and could serve as a mode of transmission for antibiotic-resistant genes," Carlton said. "Money is a frequent route of contact between people in New York City."
Of the diverse organisms teeming in the paper bills, the researchers found traces of DNA from dogs, horses and even rhinos.
The findings of the study suggests of the health risks associated with handling money which is why it's a good practice to always wash your hands after you handle money.