Money, whether in the form of coins or paper notes is perhaps the most widely handled article by people everyday throughout the world. Money is used as a medium for exchange for goods and services, settlement of debts and for deferred payments in economic activities. Currency notes represent a universal medium for the transmission of bacteria in the environment and among humans. There is a possibility that currency notes might act as environmental vehicles for the transmission of pathogenic organisms. The present investigation was carried out on one hundred and twenty Indian paper currency notes of all the denominations obtained from different occupational groups in Coimbatore City, TamilNadu, India. Assessment revealed active participation of the following organisms as Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp, Klebsiella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp and Pseudomonas spp. The study suggested that Indian paper currency notes are highly contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and this contamination may play a significant role in transmission of infectious diseases. Hence, great care must be taken while handling money during the preparation and handling of food to avoid cross contamination
