How can cell culture media get contaminated?
Unintentional use of nonsterile supplies, media or solutions during routine cell culture procedures is a major source of biological contaminants. These products may be contaminated as a result of improper sterilization or storage, or may become contaminated during use.
How do you know if your cell culture is contaminated?
Bacterial contamination is easily detected by visual inspection of the culture within a few days of it becoming infected; Infected cultures usually appear cloudy (i.e., turbid), sometimes with a thin film on the surface. Sudden drops in the pH of the culture medium is also frequently encountered.
What is the most common source cause of cell culture contamination?
Unintentional use of nonsterile supplies, media, or solutions during routine cell culture procedures is the major source of microbial spread. Contamination is a prevalent issue in the culturing of cells, and it is essential that any risks are managed effectively so that experiment integrity is maintained.
Do Sf9 cells require serum?
Sf9, Sf21, and High Five™ cells can be grown in serum-required or serum-free media (see Media Considerations, page 8, for more information). We recommend the following media for each cell line (see table below).
What is fungal contamination?
Fungal contamination of the indoor environment is mainly caused by the presence of Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOCs), which constitute a sub-group of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), mycotoxins, fungal spores and fragments of mycelia.
How is fungal contamination removed from cell culture?
Best to get rid of contaminated cultures. Spores from the culture may contaminate your incubator and can contaminate other cultures. Once you remove the contaminated culture, clean inside of your incubator with a cloth soaked in hypochlorite. Then with a cloth soaked in ethanol.
What does fungal contamination look like?
Fungi and mold can appear as small isolated colonies of grey, white or greenish color, floating at the surface of the medium. Sometimes fungal contaminations will cause a pH increase of the medium, resulting in phenol-red containing media to appear pink. Fungal colonies floating on the medium surface.
What are common fungal contaminants?
Fungal contamination of the indoor environment is mainly caused by the presence of Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOCs), which constitute a sub-group of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), mycotoxins, fungal spores and fragments of mycelia. On the other hand, mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by fungi.
How does mycoplasma affect cells?
Consequences of Mycoplasma contamination in cell cultures Mycoplasmas compete with host cells for biosynthetic precursors and nutrients and can alter DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, diminish amino acid and ATP levels, introduce chromosomal alterations, and modify host-cell plasma membrane antigens.
How do you thaw Sf9 cells?
Thawing SF9 cells Thaw frozen cells quicklyby gentle agitation in a 37°C water bath. When thawed (30-40 sec), quickly rinse the outside of the vial with 70% ethanol and proceed in the hood. Transfer the cells to a centrifuge tube, add 20 ml of medium and spin at 600xg for 2-5 min to pellet the cells.
Which fungi cause laboratory contamination?
Fungal contaminants like Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. are the most common source of proteinase and peptidase enzymes causing breakdown of compounds such as gelatine.