The latest COPAN blog explores how metagenomic sequencing was used in a recent study "Filthy Lucre: A Metagenomic Pilot Study of Microbes Found on Circulating Currency in New York City,” where the team discovered just how dirty money really is.

Using COPAN's ESwab™ which are designed for superior for collection, transport and viability maintenance, Maritz et. al swabbed $1 bills they collected from a New York City bank. DNA was extracted using the PowerSoil DNA Isolation kit, then concentrated after the extraction process using SpeedVac (Savant), and then combined to recover the highest number of organisms possible. Using the Illumina Library Preparation Kit (Kapa Biosystems), metagenomic libraries were made from all the DNA from NYC’s currency, and the metagenomic data was subsequently analyzed.

By using metagenomic sequencing, the team identified various bacteria, viruses and archaea present on the currency and determined whether they maintained viability while in circulation.