1. Can Coins and Paper Money
Transmit Bacillus anthracis?
Khalifa Sifaw Ghenghesh
Dept. of Medical Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine
Tripoli University
Tripoli-Libya

2. INTRODUCTION
Bacillus anthracis
Agent of anthrax:
• Cutaneous anthrax
• Inhalation anthrax
• Gastrointestinal anthrax
Spore former >>> survive for decades.
Agent of biological warfare.
Weapon of biological terrorism.

3. THE PROBLEM

4. Can coins and paper money be used as
a vehicle for spreading
B. anthracis in the community?
We should not expect that terrorists will choose
the agents for which we are prepared (Institute of
Medicine. 1999. Chemical and Biological
Terrorism. National Academy Press, Washington,
DC.).
We should not also expect that they will choose
the methods we are familiar with for spreading
such agents.

5. Factors in Favor of the Hypothesis

6. Staphylococi Isolated from Used Paper
Money in Libya according
to their source
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Source
No.
No. (%) positive for:
studied S. aureus
S. epidermidis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Shops
44
24(55)
7(16)
Vegetable market 30
8(27%)
5(17)
Cafeteria
34
15(44)
14(41)
Photocopy center 15
10(67)
4(27)
Others
43
5(12)
8(19)

7. Staphylococi Isolated from Used Paper
Money in Libya according
to their value
Value
No.
No. (%) positive for:
(dinar)
studied
S. aureus
S. epidermidis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1/4
35
15(43)
5(14)
1/2
27
13(48)
6(22)
1
85
25(29)
24(28)
5
10
4(40)
2(20)
10
9
5(56)
1(11)
Total
166
62(37)
38(23)

8. Bacteria Isolated from Coins
and Paper Money Worldwide
Bacillus spp.
Enterobacteria: Shigella, EPEC, etc..
Staphylococci: Toxigenic S. aureus and
MRSA.
Streptococci
Pseudomonas spp.
Etc...

9. Currencies that are candidates for use as
vehicles for spreading B. anthracis

10. How to Tackle the Problem
The threat of using money and other possible
methods by terrorists to spread B. anthracis
(and other agents) should be taken seriously
(see next slide).
Incorporating antimicrobial agents into
currency?
Finding alternatives to coins and paper money?
• electronic money.
Others

11. When evaluating a threatened release of anthrax,
the lack of volatility of the disease, as well as its
inability to penetrate intact skin, should be taken
into account. These factors make it unlikely, in
most cases, that persons coming in contact with
letters, packages, and other devices purported to
contain anthrax will be at risk for aerosol
exposure. Moreover, because energy is required to
aerosolize anthrax spores, opening a letter, even if
it contained anthrax, would be unlikely to place a
person at substantial risk.
Source: Cieslak TJ. and Eitzen, Jr EM.1999.
Clinical and epidemiologic principles of anthrax.
EID, vol 5.