The SouthernBiotech Mycoplasma Detection Kit is designed to specifically detect potential Mycoplasma contamination in cell cultures. The kit incorporates polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify the conserved 16S ribosomal RNA coding region within the Mycoplasma genome, thereby providing an extensive, highly sensitive, and efficient detection method. Carefully determined primer sequences cover three genera of Mycoplasmatales (Mycoplasma, Acholeplasma, and Ureaplasma) which allows the kit to detect over 95% of potential cell culture infections.

The PCR technology in the Mycoplasma Detection Kit is fast (results are typically obtained in less than 3 hours) and easy to use. The kit is also highly sensitive and can detect as little as 2-5 femtograms of Mycoplasma DNA in 100 µL of test sample supernatant. Eukaryotic and bacterial DNA from cell culture supernatant is not amplified by the kit.

A sample cell line infected with Mycoplasma will generate a PCR product between ~448 bp to ~611 bp on an agarose gel, depending on the type of Mycoplasma present. A positive control (M. orale, 503 bp) is included to validate that the PCR amplification process has occurred as well as to confirm the size of the PCR product obtained in test samples. An internal control is also provided to eliminate potential false negatives associated with PCR inhibitors.