Evaluation of Occurrence of Escherichia Colio 157 : H 7 FromNigerian Currency Notes ( Naira ) Collected from Butchers at The Meat Market in Karu Abattoir , Nigeria

Currency note is a medium of exchange for goods and services; buying and selling of various products including meat, at meat markets. This present study was designed to evaluate the occurrence of Escherichia coliO157:H7 from Nigerian currency notes (Naira) collected from butchers at the meat market in Karu Abattoir, Abuja. A total 189 currency notes sampled from the eight currency denominations were subjected to cultivation and isolation using Eosine methylene blue (EMB) and Sorbitol-MacConkay(SMAC) agar respectively, in which isolates were obtained. All the 189 (100%) naira notes sampled were contaminated with bacteria, andout of the 189 samples, 12 (19.7%) were contaminated with E. coli, of which5 (41.7%) were confirmed to beE. coli O157:H7. Currency notes can potentially serve as fomite in transmitting microorganisms such as E. coliO157:H7 which causes enteric diseases in humans. Also poor handling practices of currency notes poses a critical threat to public health.