Some 95% of banknotes are covered in harmful bacteria that can cause a variety of serious illnesses, including MRSA, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and even anthrax.
That is according to a new study by Gambling.com in conjunction with microbiologists, which swabbed 20 of the most-used currencies from around the world. The swabs were used to inoculate agar plates, which were then incubated at room temperature for one week.
The study revealed that the Canadian dollar was the dirtiest and most dangerous banknote in the world, with 209 microbe colonies discovered, spread with the harmful bacillus, a microbe with strains that can cause food poisoning, sepsis, and in rare cases, anthrax.
