Análisis bacteriológico de billetes de alta circulación de la Facultad de Ciencias y Educación de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

Abstract

Cash is widely used around the world. In Colombia, at least 61% of transactions are made in cash and in the context of purchases made during the course of classes, this method also has preference. However, the composition of the Colombian Peso (COP), in 100% cotton fiber can lead to the transmission of diseases due to inadequate hygiene practices. In addition, the upgrowing bacterial resistance to antibiotics in recent years has become a significant public health concern. The objective of this research is the bacteriological analysis of high circulation banknotes in the Faculty of Science and Education of the Francisco José de Caldas District University, to correlate the isolated organisms with the denomination, physical condition of banknotes and antibiotic resistance. Banknotes were collected at the university and at the Bank of the Republic, and laboratory analyses were carried out using nutrient agar cultures, Baird-Parker agar, EMB agar and Mueller-Hinton agar, Gram staining, advanced colorimetric bacterial characterization with VITEK 2 Compact and antibiogram testing using amoxicillin 30μg. The results reported contamination in 97% of the samples analyzed, where bacteria belonging to the genera Aeromonas, Staphylococcus, Leuconostoc and Bacillus were identified, also showing resistant to amoxicillin and multidrug-resistant to various antibiotics, which may act as potential pathogens, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Such findings highlight how the use of cash in a university context can contribute to the spread of bacterial diseases, underlining the need for improved hygiene practices and control of antibiotic resistance.