Cell Line Contamination – Mycoplasma Prevention and Detection
Mycoplasma are a distinct group of bacterial strains notorious for their ability to contaminate cell cultures without resulting in media turbidity or other obvious symptoms. Mycoplasma infection can deprive host cells of nutrients and induce global changes in host gene expression, which in turn can affect data reproducibility and lead to the misinterpretation of experimental results. Best practices in cell culture coupled with routine testing is critical for the prevention and early detection of mycoplasma contamination. In this presentation, we discuss the history of mycoplasma contamination with a focus on current prevention and detection methods. We will also expand on the products and services offered by ATCC for routine mycoplasma testing, highlighting our new PCR-based mycoplasma detection service.