Abstract

The bacteriological quality of some Nigerian currencies in circulation was investigated in terms of total bacterial count and kinds of bacterial species present. The notes had high bacterial counts: ranging from 1.5×10⁴ to 4.2×10⁴ cfu/cm²; there was no significant difference in the bacterial counts. Eight bacterial species were isolated: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus faecalis, Klebsiella sp, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonellasp. Salmonella sp was the least prevalent of the bacterial isolates (2%) while S. aureus was the most prevalent (28%). Antibiotic susceptibility pattern suggests that some of the isolates (S. aureus and P. mirabilis) had potentials for multiple antibiotic resistances. The health implications of the organisms encountered are discussed and suggestions are provided to enable safe handling of the notes.

Key words: Currencies, naira notes, antibiotic resistance.