Mycoplasma Disinfection
Keep your lab free of microbial contaminations
A CO2 incubator is a basic piece of equipment in any laboratory involved in cultivation of in vitro cells. The culture bottles must be kept slightly opened in order to allow the penetration of CO2, and enable the formation of a bicarbonate - CO2 buffer system, which is the most common buffer system for tissue culture. Leakage of medium from the culture bottles, high humidity, suitable temperature, the water tray and the air flow, all form a fertile breeding ground for the development of contaminants in the incubator, which are liable to contaminate the tissue culture in all the semi-opened culture bottles.
The usual way of contamination is a media spill from a contaminated cell culture during loading and unloading of the cabinet. These spills can contaminate the trays and the water reservoir. Mycoplasmas are known to survive a distinct time on smooth surfaces even after the spilled culture medium has dried out. More serious is a contamination of the water tank needed to control the moisture level. Mycoplasmas can survive and, as some experts assume, also grow in pure water.
As soon as contamination appears in the incubator, it is very difficult to eliminate it, and severe damage can be caused. Therefore, it is essential to systematically clean and disinfect the incubator. It is recommended to disinfect every 14 days, or once a month at the very least.
Also water baths are common sources of contamination in a cell culture lab which occurs when e.g. frozen cells are thawed or media bottles are warmed up.
PromoKine's Aquaguard-1 and Aquaguard-2 Solutions for water disinfection in CO2 incubators and water baths as well as our Mycoplasma-EX and Pharmacidal Sprays for disinfection of laboratory surfaces (work benches, incubators etc.) reliably help you to prevent unwanted contamination in your cell culture lab.
AQUAGUARD:
The perfect solution for disinfecting C02 incubators and water baths
Disinfecting the water in the incubator with Aquaguard-1:
The water required for proper humidity in the CO2 incubator is a main source of contamination which disperses in the incubator. In order to disinfect the water in the incubator we recommend Aquaguard-1 Solution, which contains a disinfectant that does not cause damage to the stainless steel tray. Aquaguard-1 Solution is is non-toxic, non-volatile, and extremely effective against contaminating microorganisms.
The water should be replaced with sterile water every two to four weeks, adding 50 ml of Aquaguard-1 per 5 liters of water.
Preventive treatment as described above will prevent adversity that can be caused as a result of contamination to the tissue culture. In addition, it will also prevent the necessity of dealing with contamination that has dispersed in the incubator and causes repeated contamination of the tissue culture.
Disinfecting ordinary water baths with Aquaguard-2:
The water bath is as well a common source of contamination in the cell culture lab. Aquaguard-2 is intended for disinfecting various kinds of water baths from contaminating microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. It is recommended to use 2 ml of Aquaguard-2 for each liter of water in the bath, and to repeat the procedure every 1-2 weeks. After 4-6 weeks, the bath should be emptied and refilled with water containing Aquaguard-2.
The active ingredient in Aquaguard-2 is highly effective against contaminating microorganisms but safe to humans and does not cause any irritating effects to the skin when used in the recommended concentration.
Economically priced special packagings available now!
We recommend usage of the following solutions for disinfecting surfaces in your cell culture lab:
Pharmacidal Spray & Mycoplasma-EX Spray:
Optimal cleaning and disinfecting laboratory surfaces and apparatuses
- Pharmacidal Spray which does not contain mercury, formadeldehyde, phenol or alcohol is very effective against bacteria, fungi, spores and viruses. It is recommended to spray the incubators thoroughly every two weeks. The spray also eliminates efficiently microbial contaminants on other surfaces in your lab such as work benches or liquid nitrogen containers.
- Mycoplasma-EX Spray is a new solution for safe disinfection of all laboratory surfaces and apparatuses, including clean benches, incubators, work benches, cell storage boxes and liquid nitrogen containers from mycoplasma contamination. It is an alcohol-based, non-corrosive and non-carcinogenic solution of the powerful mycoplasma elimination reagent Mycoplasma-EX and can be used as a routine contamination control programme or for known or suspected mycoplasma challenges. Mycoplasma-EX Spray treatment is fast and easy and ideal to maintain a clean work area - thereby saving time and expenses. It possesses not only a strong mycoplasmacidal activity but was also found to be very effective against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, HBV/HIV, Papova-, Adeno-, Polio- and Vaccinia viridae as well as TBC. Its effectiveness is further enhanced by its excellent detergent properties, so that clean, contamination-free surfaces can be achieved in a single application.
Benefits of Mycoplasma-EX Spray:
- completely kills mycoplasma within seconds
- outstandingly safe in use
- effective against most micororganisms
- convenient ready-to-use solution supplied in a refillable spray bottle
- stable at room temperature
- does not leave any residue
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See also: PromoCell's cell culture products - particularly cells and media for normal human cell culture. >More Information
Note: Mycoplasma safety is also topic of a training course of our PromoCell Academy! >More Information