Elimination of Mycoplasma Contamination in Cell Cultures

These antibiotic treatments had a high efficiency of permanent cure: MRA 64%, ciprofloxacin 77%, BM-Cyclin 84%. Resistance to mycoplasma eradication was observed in some cell cultures: BM-Cyclin 5%, ciprofloxacin 14%, MRA 22%. Nearly all resistant contaminants that could be identified belonged to the species M. arginini and M. orale. Detrimental effects of the antibiotics were seen in form of culture death caused by cytotoxicity (in 9-13% of the cultures). Alterations of the cellular phenotypic features or selective clonal outgrowth might represent further untoward side-effects of exposure to these antibiotics. Overall, antibiotic decontamination of mycoplasmas is an efficient, inexpensive, reliable, and simple method: 269/366 (73%) chronically and heavily contaminated cultures were cured, while 97/366 (27%) cultures could not be cleansed and were either lost or remained infected. It is concluded that eukaryotic cell cultures containing mycoplasmas are amenable to antibiotic treatment and that a cure rate of about three-quarters is a reasonable expectation.