Evaluation of Bacterial Contamination and Safety of Bangladeshi Paper Currencies (Taka) Collected from Various Food Vendors
Journal Title: Journal of Advances in Microbiology - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Aims: Paper currency notes can act as transmission vehicle for microorganisms because of their widespread use and constant exchange from hand to hand. This study aimed at determining the level of bacterial contamination and the safety of the notes collected from some food vendors in Noakhali district, Bangladesh. Methodology: A total of 20 currency notes (BDT 2, BDT 5, BDT 10, BDT 20) were collected at random from 5 different food vendors (Chotpoti, Chicken, Jhalmuri, Fish and Meat) at Noakhali, Bangladesh. Each sample was washed with Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) and inoculated onto Nutrient Agar (NA) for total viable count. Standard microbiological and biochemical methods were used for the enumeration, isolation and characterization of pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of isolated bacteria against commonly used antibiotic drugs was carried out through Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Growth potential of the isolated bacteria observed in selected weaning foods (milk and mango juice). Results: About 90% of the currency notes were contaminated with bacteria. The highest amount of viable count (3.3×1010 CFU/ml) was found in BDT 10 of Chotpoti sample. A total of 30 bacterial isolates were identified from all the currencies. Of them, Escherichia coli (33.33%) was the most frequently isolated bacterial species followed by Staphylococcus aureus (26.66%), Bacillus cereus (13.33%), Micrococcus spp. (10%), Klebsiella spp. (3.33%), Salmonella spp. (3.33%), Vibrio cholerae (10%). Antibiotic sensitivity test reveals that, most of the isolates were highly resistant to vancomycin, ampicillin and penicillin, while no or little resistance was found against gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol. In challenge study, Salmonella spp., S. aureus reached the level of infective dose within 6 or 12 hours of inoculation in respective foods. Vibrio cholera didn’t reach this stage. The pH values of both food samples challenged with selected microorganism showed some variability because of fermentation. Conclusion: This study revealed that paper currencies collected from food vendors in Noakhali, Bangladesh were contaminated with different pathogenic bacteria including multi drug resistant strains. Thus, it calls for awareness development on the potential risks associated with poor handling of paper currencies at all level of the food establishments.
Authors and Affiliations
Sanjoy Kumar Mukharjee, Sazzad Hossain, Md. Saifur Rahman
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP338166
- DOI 10.9734/JAMB/2017/34256
- Views 87
- Downloads 0
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Some Medicinal Plants on Different Bacterial Isolates Associated with Semen of Infertile Men
Infection of the male genitourinary tract represents a significant health care problem and account for almost 15% of cases of male infertility. The present study aims to isolate and identified different bacterial isolate...
Utilization Potential of Kitchen Waste Sludge as Organic Fertilizer
Aim: To investigate the possible conversion of kitchen waste sludge into organic fertilizer using a bio-treatment agent. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at Afe Babalola University in the green hous...
Soil Bioremediation in Heavy Metal Contaminated Mining Areas: A Microbiological/Biotechnological Point of View
Bioremediation concerns the use of plants and microorganisms or their parts, for the decontamination and recuperation of polluted areas. The improvement of the bioremediation techniques is possible due to the last decade...
Changes in Proximate Composition of Corn Meal (Ogi) Assisted with Lactobacillus Species
Ogi also known as corn meal is a carbohydrate rich food that forms the diets of most weaning infants and adults in some West African countries including Nigeria. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the eff...
RpoB Gene-Based Characterization of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria in Zimbabwe
Aims: To characterize archived nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) samples previously isolated from humans across Zimbabwe during the 2014 national tuberculosis survey. The rpoB gene of the isolates was targeted for charac...