Germs on Banknotes People in different countries use different types of 1__________ yuan in China, pesos in Mexico, pounds in the United Kingdom, dollars in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They may use 2__________ currencies, but these countries, and probably all countries, still have one thing in common1: Germs on the banknotes. Scientists have been studying the germs on money for well over2 100 years. At the turn of the 20th 3__________ , some researchers began to suspect that germs living on money could spread disease. Most studies of germy money have looked at the germs on the currency 4__________ one country. In a new study, Frank Vriesekoop3 and other researchers compared the germ populations found on bills of different 5__________ . Vriesekoop3 is a microbiologist at the University of Ballarat in Australia4. He led the study, which compared the germ populations found on money 6__________ from 10 nations. The scientists studied 1,280 banknotes in total; all came from places where people buy food, like supermarkets street vendors and cafes, 7__________ those businesses often rely on cash. Overall, the Australian dollars hosted the fewest live bacteria ---- no more than 10 per square centimeter. Chinese yuan had the most ---- about 100 per square centimeter. Most of the germs on money probably would not cause harm. |