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Toward a Metagenomic Understanding on the Bacterial Composition and Resistome in Hong Kong Banknotes
Yoshitaro Heshiki1, Thrimendra Dissanayake1, Tingting Zheng1
1Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Group, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Hong KongHong Kong, China.
Insights
Banknotes carry diverse bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from various environments. This study found HK banknotes harbor significantly more pathogens and ARGs than environmental samples, suggesting currency transmits resistance.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Currency circulates widely, potentially acting as a vector for pathogen and antimicrobial resistance gene transmission.
- Understanding the microbial communities on banknotes is crucial for public health and infection control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively characterize the bacterial community and resistome on Hong Kong banknotes.
- To compare the microbial profile of banknotes with local environmental samples.
- To assess the potential for banknotes to transmit pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).
Main Methods:
- Bacterial community analysis using in vitro characterization and metagenomic sequencing.
- Resistome profiling to identify antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs).
- Comparison of banknote microbiome with environmental samples (water, marine sediment).
Main Results:
- Hong Kong banknotes harbor a diverse bacterial community, representing nearly 50% of genera found in local environmental samples.
- Banknotes showed approximately 5 times higher abundance of potential pathogens and ARGs compared to environmental samples.
- The dissemination potential of ARGs on banknotes was found to be significantly higher (~48 times) than in environmental samples.
Conclusions:
- Banknotes serve as a significant reservoir for diverse bacteria, including potential pathogens and ARGs.
- The high circulation of currency facilitates the transmission of antibiotic resistance.
- A hypothesis was proposed that banknotes may harbor a homogenized microbiome due to extensive circulation, independent of topological factors.
Abstract:
Currency is possibly one of the main media transmitting pathogens and drug resistance due to its wide circulation in daily life. In this study, we made a comprehensive characterization of the bacterial community present on banknotes collected from different geographical regions of Hong Kong (HK) by performing in vitro characterization of the bacterial presence and resistome profile, as well as metagenomic analysis including microbial diversity, the prevalence of potential pathogens, the dissemination potential of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), among others. When comparing the bacterial community of HK banknotes with other HK environmental samples, including water and marine sediment, we revealed that HK banknotes cover nearly 50% of total genera found in all the environmental samples, implying that banknotes harbor diverse bacteria originated from a variety of environments. Furthermore, the banknotes have higher abundance of potential pathogenic species (~5 times more) and ARGs (~5 times more) with higher dissemination potential (~48 times more) compared with other environmental samples. These findings unveiled the capabilities of this common medium of exchange to accommodate various bacteria, and transmit pathogens and antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, the observed independence of microbiome profile from the city's topological indices led us to formulate a hypothesis that due to their high circulation banknotes may harbor a homogenized microbiome.
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