HOUSTON – Before we give you the dirty details you should know: Most bacteria are harmless. Many of them are actually helpful, right?
"We carry lots of bacteria on our bodies that are helping us with things," said biologist Rebecca Ferrell, Ph.D.
But perhaps, not these bacteria -- colonies of filth that KPRC 2 News found on money.
Ferrell and some of her students agreed to take a close look at money collected from fast food restaurants, banks, ATMs and grocery stores, including both bills and a big bag of change.
"So if you see E. coli there, it's not the E. coli you should be worried about -- it's an indicator for something else that might be there," said Emily Pryor, a student clinician.
"It says you've got feces-- you've got fecal contamination-- and that could transmit all kinds of disease," Ferrell said.
Disease that is moving through the money supply as it rides in your pocket, your wallet and your purse. We just don't really think about it.
"There are always the potential for the pathogens to be there as well and that was the concern with money," Ferrell said. Whole families of serious bacteria.
"It's the usual suspects right? Salmonella, shigella, typhoid, clostridium -- and then there are lots of viruses," Ferrell said. And E coli can be very resilient.
Pryor found it alive in the lab for almost an entire week.
"And this day six. Still growing? Still growing," Ferrell said.
Which means your chances of eventually touching the bill with the right or wrong bacteria are pretty good.
Washing your hands after touching cash or coins is the best way to protect yourself, especially before you eat or handle food.
