Abstract
This chapter discusses incidence, source, prevention, and problems of the elimination of mycoplasma contamination of cell cultures. A test for mycoplasmas is required for viral vaccines produced in cell cultures. Several procedures are used, including a standard culture procedure for isolating mycoplasmas from contaminated cell cultures; a more sensitive large specimen-broth culture procedure for isolating small numbers of mycoplasmas from minimally infected or contaminated specimens; and a semisolid broth culture procedure for screening cell cultures for microbial contamination. Because mycoplasmas are frequently present in oral and genital tissues of man and animals, and in neoplastic tissues, cell cultures prepared from these tissues would theoretically have a greater contamination risk. The 1063 contaminants isolated in the study were identified as either human, bovine, swine, murine, avian, or canine species of mycoplasmas. Human, bovine, and swine species of mycoplasmas caused 1046 of the contaminations observed. Contamination can be spread from cell to cell either by contaminated virus pools, antisera, or by other reagents commonly used in cell culture studies. The measures used are designed to control the sources and the spread of contamination.
Published Version
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