Bacterial load of the surface of some selected Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

An Automated Teller Machine (ATM), also known as Automated Banking Machine (ABM) or cash machine and several other names, is a computerized telecommunication device that provides access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a cashier or other intermediaries. The Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) has been widely used due to its convenience but also serves as a source of bacterial contamination. The aim of this work was to determine the bacterial load of surfaces of selected ATMs in Kano metropolis. Swab samples were collected from four (4) selected areas and ten (10) different study sites. The samples were collected using swabbing technique and standard plate count was employed for the enumeration of bacterial counts. The mean bacterial counts ranged between the lowest count of 1.20 x 10²cfu/cm² and the highest count of 1.78 x 10²cfu/cm² and the mean count of individual machine ranged from 1.70 x 10¹ cfu/cm² upto 6.00 x 10¹cfu/cm². All the ATMs were found to be contaminated. It could thus be concluded that the ATMs studied present a very great risk factor for cross contamination. The general public should therefore be enlightened on the possible health hazards associated with such items like ATMs and thus advised for strict personal hygiene and regular washing of hands before and after contact with ATMs so as to reduce the possible transfer of bacterial diseases and/or infections.

Keywords: Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Bacteria, Contamination, Kano metropolis.