What are some sources of mycoplasma contamination?

Question

A vial was tested from a cell bank and was found to be contaminated with mycoplasma.

How can cell culture be contaminated with mycoplasma?

Answer 1

The most common source is the human body. If the person handling the cell cultures is not careful, it is very easy to contaminate the cultures.

Answer 2

Lol...mycoplasma contamination is one of the biggest headaches in cell culture.

Contamination from mycoplasma usually comes from inproper aseptic techniques. Unlike other bacterial contamination, it's isn't easily detected, so unless your lab does periodic tests for mycoplasma, it will be passed on unknowingly through subsequent generations pretty much indefinately (and screw up all your experiments along the way!).

A careful lab usually test all new cell lines they buy from cell banks for mycoplasma as standard practice, because another thing about mycoplasma is that it is *very* easily spread. So if one cell line tests positive, it might be best to test all cells grown in the same incubator, and decontaminate your incubator afterwards.

I read somewhere that Corning or Gibco once did an experiment by deliberately contaminating a dish with mycplasma, than used those cells under a laminar flow. Not only did all subsequent cells using that laminar flow tested positive for mycoplasma, but the clothing of the operators also tested positive! So anyways, be very careful.

Here's a good handbook about cell culture contaminants that says a lot about mycoplasma contamination:
http://www.corning.com/Lifesciences/technical_information/techDocs/cccontamination.pdf