I bet you thought condoms would be all you need to save you from developing an STD.
Ha, well -- you're going to hate this new study then.
Sure, condoms will protect you during sex. But there's a new culprit that could potentially spread the parasites that give you a sexually transmitted disease, and you can find it at your local bodega or laundromat.
I'm talking about ATM machines -- the ones in New York City, to be exact.
I KNOW. BE UPSET. THIS ISN'T COOL.
As if we didn't already have enough to worry about.
New studies have shown ATM machines in the Big Apple can transmit parasites closely related to the ones that cause the STD trichomoniasis, DailyMail.com reports.
In other words, download Venmo immediately because an ATM could be more worrisome than a one night stand you met on Tinder.
Apparently, students at New York University made the shocking discovery after conducting an experiment where they took swabs from 66 ATM machines throughout eight neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Some ATMs were indoors and some were outdoors, but one conclusion was made regardless of their placement: They're all grimy AF.
While studying the different types of parasites found on the keypads of the germ-infested cash dispensers, they discovered mostly bacteria associated with human skin communities, according to DailyMail.com.
Aside from unveiling a parasite similar to Trichomonas vaginalis -- aka the one that causes the STD trichomoniasis -- students discovered other terrifying microbes we should be aware of.
Some examples given were the bacterias from the classes Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Clostridia, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria -- a class which contains pathogens like Salmonella.
Other nightmarish microbes they discovered on ATMs were from bony fish, mollusks, chicken and fungal microbes linked to spoiled baked goods.
EW. EW. EW.
I guess this is a good deterrent from taking money out when I definitely shouldn't be.
Jane Carlton, biology professor and director of the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology at NYU, talked about the startling results.
She stated,
Our results suggest that ATM keypads integrate microbes from different sources, including the human microbiome, foods, and potentially novel environmental organisms adapted to air or surfaces.
AKA buy 25 bottles of hand sanitizer and refrain from using ATMs if you want to keep as germ-free as possible.
Citations: DailyMail.com
