Can a culture be successfully decontaminated?
Sometimes a contaminated culture can be treated to eliminate contamination. The first step is to determine the type of infection: bacteria, fungi, yeast, or Mycoplasma. Isolate these cultures from other cultures and discard all culture media, reagents, and serum that have been opened and used. Prepare fresh media using fresh serum and reagents. Perform a kill curve (dose-response curve) to determine the best concentration of antibiotic or antimycotic to avoid toxicity to the cells. Prepare fresh media with fresh serum and reagents plus the appropriate antibiotic or antimycotic. Monitor the cultures closely. Also, clean incubators and laminor flow hoods, as well as counters and bench tops, with a laboratory disinfectant. Inspect HEPA filters for signs of failure or blockage.
