Mycoplasma Contamination - Silent Growth Inhibitor (Cell Culture (Contamination))

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Slowed cell growth, altered cellular metabolism, chromosomal aberrations, and interference with cell attachment. No visible turbidity in medium. Difficult to detect by light microscopy due to small size (0.15-0.3 µm). Common causes: 1) Introduction through poor aseptic technique (mycoplasma found on human skin) 2) Contaminated fetal bovine serum and other supplements 3) Highly transmissible among neighboring contaminated cultures 4) Standard 0.22 µm or 0.45 µm filtration fails to exclude mycoplasma 5) Unaffected by cell wall-targeting antibiotics due to lack of cell walls 6) Mycoplasma titer can reach 10^8 organisms/mL without causing visible turbidity Solutions: 1) Establish routine mycoplasma screening using culture, DNA staining (DAPI/Hoechst), or PCR-based detection 2) Use filters with 0.1 µm or smaller pores for media and buffer filtration 3) Implement strict adherence to good laboratory practices 4) Test all incoming cell lines in quarantine for two weeks without antibiotics 5) Use mycoplasma detection and elimination kits from reputable suppliers 6) Discard contaminated cultures immediately to prevent lab-wide spread 7) Avoid routine antibiotic use which masks contamination and creates resistant strains