Microbial Contamination
Contamination is one of the most common and serious issues in cell culture, compromising research results and wasting valuable time and resources. Contaminants can be microbial—such as bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, and nanobacteria—or non-microbial, including chemical impurities or cross-contamination with other cell lines. Among these, microbial contamination is the most prevalent, with bacteria, mycoplasma, and nanobacteria being the leading causes.As a trusted life science tool provider, abm brings extensive knowledge and expertise in detecting and controlling bacterial, mycoplasma, and nanobacteria contamination. We can be your reliable partner in keeping your cell culture projects contamination-free and under control, even if a culture is already compromised.
Mycoplasma Control
Mycoplasma Contamination: A Critical Issue in Cell Culture
Mycoplasma contamination is a significant concern in cell culture due to its ability to alter cell behavior, affect experimental results, and remain undetected by routine microscopic examination. With mycoplasma being widespread, proper detection and control are essential to safeguard the integrity of your cell culture practices.Why Mycoplasma Contamination Control Is Critical:
• Impact on Cell Growth: Mycoplasma can inhibit or disrupt cell growth, leading to inconsistent or unreliable results.
• Changes in Cell Physiology: Contaminated cells may exhibit altered gene expression, metabolism, and protein production, skewing experimental outcomes.
• Misleading Experimental Results: Since mycoplasma can go undetected for long periods, experiments can yield inaccurate or unreliable data.
With abm’s industry-leading mycoplasma detection kits and MycOut™ drug, you can be confident that your cell culture work will not only be accurately monitored but also efficiently decontaminated if contamination occurs. In fact, our mycoplasma detection kit was ranked No. 1 in a study conducted by Dr. B.W. Johnson at a leading USDA laboratory, published in J Virol Methods (Feb 2020; 276:113769). To date, our popular mycoplasma detection kits have been cited in over 1,100 publications across various research projects. Furthermore, a competitor analysis was conducted with our newly improved mycoplasma detection kit (Mycoplasma Pro PCR Detection Kit, Cat. No. G239) and it outperformed leading brands in the industry.
Mycoplasma Detection
abm’s Mycoplasma detection kits offer fast, sensitive, and reliable screening to protect your cell cultures. The Mycoplasma PCR and Pro PCR Detection Kits detect over 200 and 300 strains respectively, with the Pro version featuring an internal control for added accuracy. For ultra sensitivity, the Mycoplasma qPCR Detection Kit detects as few as 10 copies directly from media. All three outperform competitors in sensitivity, speed, and value.
Sensitive Detection
abm's Mycoplasma PCR Detection Kit can detect samples containing as low as 10 genome copies of Mycoplasma. abm's Mycoplasma PCR Detection Kit (Cat. No. G238) was used to detect samples containing ~10 to 100,000 genome copies of Mycoplasma. Presence of Mycoplasma was confirmed as a 450 bp band.
Confident Results
Mycoplasma Pro PCR Detection Kit (Cat. No. G239) was used to confirm the presence of contamination in five cell culture samples. Positive mycoplasma bands (300 bp – 600 bp) were detected in samples 2, 3, and 4. Internal PCR control band (180 bp) is present in all lanes which confidently determines a genuine negative result.
Reliable Amplification
Mycoplasma qPCR Detection Kit (Cat. No. G240) demonstrates a highly linear qPCR standard curve from a tenfold serial dilution of positive control DNA (10⁷ to 1 copy). qPCR amplification was performed across eight dilution points, and the resulting Ct values showed a strong linear correlation with log₁₀(copy number), indicating excellent amplification efficiency and a broad dynamic range. No amplification was observed in the No Template Control (NTC), confirming the assay’s high specificity.
Mycoplasma Elimination
Mycoplasma contamination is a persistent challenge in cell culture facilities worldwide. abm continues to lead the field in both detection and elimination of these contaminants. Building on the success of our MycoAway™ 1000X Mycoplasma Cocktail, we have developed MycOut™, a second-generation solution containing two independent drug components. MycOut™ effectively eliminates over 100 species of mycoplasma, including those resistant to first-generation treatments.
Nanobacteria Control
Nanobacteria are ultra-small, sub-microscopic entities that have been proposed as a new type of microorganism. While their classification and existence have sparked debate in the scientific community, recent research from our lab strongly supports the hypothesis that nanobacteria are indeed a distinct form of microorganism. Our findings demonstrate that nanobacteria not only replicate and grow in cell culture environments but can also be effectively controlled using our NanOut™ agent.Despite their under-recognition in the broader scientific community, the fact remains that nanobacteria contamination is present in virtually every cell line. The key difference is that some cell lines are more favorable to the growth of nanobacteria than others. These contaminants tend to proliferate particularly when cells undergo certain stresses, such as during thawing from liquid nitrogen, virus infection, or exposure to specific chemical treatments or drugs.
Bacteria Control
Since most bacteria replicate rapidly—often within 20 minutes—bacterial contamination in cell cultures is easy to spot as the medium quickly becomes cloudy. In such cases, best laboratory practices recommend discarding the contaminated culture and restarting with a new vial.However, this approach can be devastating when no backup vial is available, such as when working with newly acquired cell lines, early-stage stable cell lines, or highly valuable production cell lines.For these critical situations, our BacOut™ solution offers a reliable method to rescue your precious cells from bacterial contamination. Although the process is technically challenging, success is achievable by strictly following our protocol.