Mycoplasma: the insidious enemy Review
It’s the forbidden word in cell culture. It is every cell culturist’s nightmare, or at least it should be. Mycoplasma.
Cell culture contaminations of mycoplasma have been known for decades. The problem is serious, and with potentially 50% or more of cell-lines worldwide contaminated, mycoplasma can significantly impact the interpretation of biological results. To what extent and measures should we go to prevent or eliminate Mycoplasma contamination in cell culture?
Mycoplasma contamination in cell cultures
Mycoplasma is a unique type of microorganism belonging to the class of Mollicutes. The first strains of mycoplasma were isolated at the Pasteur Institute in 1898, and to date 20 of the 190 or so species have been identified as bona fide contaminants in laboratory cell culture. Mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living organisms and considered the simplest of bacteria. Owing to their extremely basic genomes, mycoplasmas in fact are parasites exploiting host cells to fulfill their energy requirements and biosynthesis of their components.