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Mycoplasma Testing

Blue mycoplasma cells.

Don’t let mycoplasma contamination ruin your research

Mycoplasma constitutes a serious concern for cell culturists as these bacteria are a common cause of cell line contamination and they frequently go unnoticed due to the lack of obvious symptoms. These silent contaminants can affect almost all aspects of cell physiology, which can damage the quality of research materials, compromise the credibility of data, and result in extensive losses in time and funding. Contamination is of particular concern in research laboratories and commercial facilities that use cell lines for the development of biopharmaceuticals for medical use as it can pose significant safety risks for patients and major economic consequences for manufacturers. To minimize these risks, proper aseptic technique combined with routine mycoplasma testing is essential.

At ATCC we are committed to keeping your cell lines safe, which is why we provide a variety of resources to meet your testing needs.

  • Try our detection kit – Need a quick and sensitive way to detect mycoplasma in your lab? Try our Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit. We provide the components and protocols you need to detect over 60 species of mycoplasma.
  • Send us your samples - Don’t have time to test your cell lines? Let the experts in mycoplasma detection handle it. We offer a PCR-based testing service that can quickly and reliably detect over 60 species of Mycoplasma, Acholeplasma, Spiroplasma, and Ureaplasma.
  • Build your own assay – Developing your own PCR-based assay? To support assay development needs, we provide titered reference strains confirmed to have a low GC/CFU ratio. For assay validation, we provide quantitative DNA certified reference materials produced under an ISO 17034 accredited process. These mycoplasma positive controls represent species that are most frequently associated with cell culture contamination.

Rely on our products for your laboratory quality control needs. Browse our resources below to get started.

We are offering 25% off our Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit.* Use promo code ATCC-000029 at checkout to take advantage of this special discount. This limited-time offer is effective from April 1-30, 2024, so place your order before time runs out!

*This online-only offer is effective from April 1 –30, 2024. The 25% discount applies only to the ATCC Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit; all other items are excluded from this promotion. The products received through this promotional offer will have an expiration date of June 30, 2024. For non-profit customers, the promotional discount is applied to the customer-specific pricing. The promo code must be applied at the time of checkout. The promo code must be applied in the “Promotional code” field in the shopping cart. U.S. customers only. Void where prohibited. Restrictions may apply. Limit 5 kits.

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Watch our webinar to discover how to protect your cells from mycoplasma

Mycoplasma detection resources

Blue, purple, and white parts of DNA strand.

Quantitative Mycoplasma DNA Controls in Evaluating the Sensitivity of Molecular-based Detection Systems

Novel molecular-based methods offer an effective and efficient means for the detection of mycoplasma contamination in cell cultures. However, for these methods to become widely accepted in research laboratories, they must demonstrate sufficient sensitivity in their limit of detection. Here, we describe the use of quantitative mycoplasma DNA controls in the evaluation of two molecular-based detection systems.

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Blue mycoplasma cells.

Credible Solutions for Mycoplasma Detection

Mycoplasma is a serious concern, even for the most experienced cell culturist. These bacteria can significantly affect the credibility of your cultures, leading to misinterpretation of results and erroneous data. Download our quick-reference infographic to explore the common sources of contamination and to discover the top five ways you can prevent mycoplasma contamination in your lab.

Download the infographic
Scientist looking into a microscope, hand on one of the eye pieces.

Mycoplasma testing service

Mycoplasma contamination is a long-standing problem that can lead to erroneous data, misinterpreted results, and extensive costs. The best protection against these bacteria is to quickly identify contaminated cultures and reagents through routine testing. Your research, time, and funding are too important to lose. Ensure the quality of your cell cultures today by using our mycoplasma testing service.

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