20th Congress of International Society for Animal and Human Mycology (ISHAM 2018).
AUTHOR:​​Prof. Dr. Lawrence Nwaneri Chigbu.
CO-AUTHOR:​Dr. John Chikezie, Dr. Ada .C. Ngwogu.
​​​Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu.
​​​Dr. Okezie, Caleb, Okamgba.
​​​Dr. Chikezie Ikonne.
PRESENTING AUTHOR:​Prof. L. N. Chigbu
EMAIL:  lawrencechigbu@yahoo.com.
 
INSTITUTION/ORGANIZATION/COMPANY.
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria.
 
INTRODUCTION:
Fungal associated respiratory Infection has become inextricably linked with handling of paper currencies in some countries of the world (particularly in Nigeria), and this link has been noted as a serious public health challenge. Given the quantity of Old-worn-out and mutilated currency notes in circulation, and other prevailing circumstances in Nigerian banking halls, these conditions seem most favourable for the dissemination of fungal-associated respiratory infections. This study therefore was undertaken to evaluate the incidence and spread of fungal-associated respiratory infections among tellers from selected banks in South-Eastern Nigeria.
 
METHODS:
A total of 504 Cash Bank Tellers; 196 Males and 308 females aged 25 – 48years (mean age 32.4 years), from six selected commercial Banks in South – Eastern Nigeria, were evaluated for Fungal and Bacterial respiratory infections using Sputum and Nasal secretions-smear Microscopy and Culture simultaneously. One hundred and sixty eight (168) Bank cash tellers whose Sputum and Nasal secretions yielded no microbial isolates were followed-up for one year (December 2016 to November 2017), for fresh Fungal and bacterial isolation. Twenty Seven bacterial strains from Staphylococcus aureus (12), Streptococcus pneumoniae (7) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (8) were tested for their antibiogram.
 
RESULTS:
One hundred and fifty nine (31.5%) of the 504 Bank Cash Tellers have respiratory infections due to Aspergillus, Sp. 13.5%, Candida albicans 5.8%, Candida tropicalis 64%, Staphylococcus aureus 2.4%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 1.4%, Klebsiella pneumonia 1.6%, and Nocardia Sp. 0.6%. The 168 Bank Cash Tellers who were followed-up for one year after their primary investigations failed to yield any Microbial growth, later gave growth of Aspergillus Sp. (5.4%) and Candida albican (1.2%). The 31 – 36 and 37 – 42 year olds with respective highest respiratory infection incidences (46.0%) and (55.2%) had Aspergllus Sp. diagnosis of 20.5% and 17.7% respectively. The antibiogram of the 27 strains of bacteria isolated in the study appeared relatively high; 92.6% for Ofloxacin and 66.7% for Gentanycin. While Streptomycin, Erythromycin, Cephalexin, Ampiclox and Chloramphenicol responded poorly.
 
CONCLUSION:
The fungal and bacterial isolates encountered in this study are important agents of respiratory infections. The relatively higher proportion (31.6%) Bank Cash Tellers diagnosed of respiratory infections due to these pathogens may serve as relevant evidence that most Nigerian Currency notes in circulation are old, worn-out, mutilated, and contaminated with Microbial pathogens commonly associated with serious public health problems.

INCIDENCE AND SPREAD OF FUNGI -ASSOCIATED RESPIRATORY INFECTION AMONG BANK TELLERS FROM SELECTED BANKS IN SOUTH –EASTERN NIGERIA.