Scientists have revealed that the microbes found on automated teller machines (ATMs) are plenty but mostly harmless. 

A team of researchers from New York University (NYU) obtained samples from 66 ATMs around New York City in the summer of 2014. After careful analysis, they discovered that microbes on ATMs are also found in bathrooms, kitchens, food, and pillows, and even live on human skin. The microbes also thrive on food like chicken and fish, including mold from pastries and other baked foods.

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According to the director of NYU's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Jane Carlton, who is the lead author of this new study, these results suggest that ATM keypads can integrate microbes from multiple sources including human microbiomes and food, including organisms that travel via air or are transferred via surfaces.

The ATMs that were used for this study are located in Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Four of them are found outside. However, scientists noted that the microbes on ATMs located indoor and outdoor are almost the same.

Researchers say that a majority of the microbe populations on these ATMs originate from unidentified sources, but some of them are transmitted from restrooms and televisions, including microbes that dwell on human skin, ears and noses and even feces.

More specifically, ATMs found in Manhattan possess a mold species known as X. bisporus that is linked with baked foods and pastries. The fungus is present on high sugar content food like cakes and confectioneries which are on the verge of spoilage.

Researchers say that it is highly likely that this fungus was transferred to the ATMs from people who had handled or eaten baked food in midtown Manhattan. This location is filled with commuters, and nearby cafes and convenience stores sell this type of pastry.

This new study was published in the journal mSphere.