Mycoplasma infections are complicated to detect or prevent. This tiny microbe sometimes remains undiscovered in cell cultures for months as it cannot be seen under a light microscope and can only be detected using SEM. In contrast to bacteria, they do not cause visible changes in turbidity or pH. To complicate it further, most antibiotics used in cell culture are ineffective, and filtration does not routinely remove the microbe.
MycoAlert Detection kit
Test your cell culture for mycoplasma infection to be sure of reproducible results. The MycoAlert Assay Kit offers a fast and sensitive 20-minute method to test your cell cultures for mycoplasma contamination. This bioluminescence assay measures the activity of enzymes found in all common Mycoplasma and Acholeplasma contaminants.
The MycoAlert Mycoplasma Detection Kit detects over 44 mycoplasma species. MycoAlert thus gives an accurate assessment of contamination compared to more commonly used PCR methods. The PCR-based methods identify living and dead Mycoplasma, which could lead to false positives.
We recommend using white ELISA plates to prevent cross-signal contamination and always use the MycoAlert control set, LO LT07-51, to qualify your results.