Mycobacterium avium–intracellulare contamination of mammalian cell cultures

Abstract

Mycobacterium avium contamination has been described as a putative contaminant of nonphagocytic mammalian cells. Screening of numerous cultured nonphagocytic mammalian cell lines revealed the presence of intracellular bacteria that were identified as M. avium-intracellulare. An extensive and critical analysis of the origin of infection, of cure protocols, and of biological manifestations in M. avium-infected cells is presented. As no tremendous visible alteration of turbidity or pH of cell culture media, and no morphological change occurred in most M. avium-infected cell cultures, detection of an infection by these bacteria is rather difficult. Recommendations are given for treatment of irreplaceable cultures and prevention of mycobacterial contamination in a tissue culture facility.

Basic Techniques and Limitations in Establishing Cell Culture: a Mini Review

“…A wide range of suitable preparations are available from relatively specific antibiotics, e.g., penicillin/ streptomycin solutions, to broader spectrum antibacterial/ antimycotic agents such as kanamycin or amphotericin B (Martinez-Liarte et al, 1995). However, the antibiotics chosen should not to be toxic to the cells in culture and their application and concentration may be decided depending on the type of contamination experienced in the individual laboratory (Lelong-Rebel et al, 2009). But higher doses of antibiotics could alter the phenotype or genotype of the cells and their prolonged use often cause negative impact on cultured cells affecting the cellular DNA as well as protein synthesis process which in turn interfere with cell metabolic processes (Kuhlmann, 1995;Toullec, 1999) …”

2.5 Quality Control Essentials in Human Cell Culture: Cell Line Cross-contamination and Microbiological Infections

“…Potentially infected material, e.g., cervix carcinoma cells from papillomavirus infected patients or B cells from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infected persons, should be tested for the presence and expression of the respective virus. Beside these relatively clear cases of infections originating from the primary material a few microorganisms emerged to become more or less widespread contaminants in cell cultures with little species or tissue specificity: the most common bacteria found in cell cultures are mycoplasmas, but also mycobacteria and several other bacteria appear once in a while undetected permanently in cell cultures [24]. To make matters worse, some of these bacteria penetrate the eukaryotic cells and exist intracellularly (e.g., Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycobacterium avium complex [25]).…”

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“…Media incorporating antibiotics are efficient against many bacterial species, but they cannot protect cultures against all bacterial contaminants, especially mycobacteria or corynebacteria, (Lelong-Rebel IH 2009). Some bacteria and other pathogenic microbes bind to the host cell surface and then become internalized via microbial invasion.…”