ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH NAIRA CIRCULATING WITHIN BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO

Curency notes are used in day-to-day transactions and handled by people with varying environmental and personal hygiene conditions, providing a large surface area for pathogens to breed (Ofoedu et al., 2021). There are currently eight denominations of naira notes in use in Nigeria: ₦5, ₦10, ₦20, and ₦50, ₦100, ₦200, ₦500, and ₦1000 (Ahmed et al., 2010). The four lower denominations (₦5, ₦10, ₦20, and ₦50) are made of polymer substrate and are more commonly found in circulation, with a greater percentage of the Nigerian population engaging in daily cash transactions with them, whereas the four higher denominations (₦100, ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1000) are made of the paper substrate (Ogbuju et al., 2020 ). .The N5, N10, N20, N50, N100 and N200 notes are the most common and are more involved in daily cash transactions. They are common especially among the populace while the N500 and N1000 notes are commonly used among the wealthy and in corporate transaction. (Moses et al., 2018). The Nigerian naira, like many forms of currency around the world, serves not only as a medium of exchange but also as a potential vector for microbial contamination . The naira note has been greatly mishandled by Nigerians over the years, and this has led to the circulation of dirty, contaminated, and mutilated notes. (Orababa et al.,2021). Various denomination of the naira notes have been minted by the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN). They are released to the public, through the Commercial banks.Paper currency notes could be one of the most potential vehicles of transmitting diseases amongst the people. Daily transactions have made the paper currency to pass through many hands, and pathogens become imposed on them before they are finally deposited in banks. Modern scientific studies have