Ridding Hybridoma Cell Lines of Contaminating Microorganisms

The long tissue culture manipulations involved in hybridoma production and maintenance sometimes can lead to contamination. If uncontaminated frozen stocks are not available, then it may be possible to rescue these cultures. Three potential methods for rescuing the lines and their success rates are provided here. If the contamination has been detected early, then the use of drugs (antibiotics) to halt the growth of the contaminating organism may succeed. For 96-well plates that have mild to moderate infections, macrophages may help clear infection. If the contamination is gross, passing the cell line through a mouse and recovering the hybridoma cells through subcloning may be the only method that may succeed.