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Viruses

Due to their extremely small size, viruses are the most difficult cell culture contaminants to detect in culture. Fortunately, most viruses are cytopathic or have a stringent host or tissue tropism which greatly limits their ability to infect cell cultures from other species/tissues. A major concern of using virally infected tissues or cell cultures, however, is not their effects on cell cultures but rather the potential health hazards they pose for laboratory personnel. To avoid possible transmission of viral infection (HIV, Hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr and other herpes viruses) from cell culture to laboratory personnel special precautions should always be used when working with tissues or cells from humans or other primates.


Recently, the Central Commission for Biological Safety (ZKBS) at the Robert-Koch Institute (RKI) has recommended testing of cell lines for the Squirrel Monkey Retrovirus (SMRV) that is able to infect a broad range of cell lines. Like all retroviruses, SMRV poses a risk for insertional mutagenesis. In addition, SMRV contamination may lead to a complementation of recombinant, replication-deficient retroviruses in cell lines. Contaminated cells should either be inactivated or used in S2 only. The ZKBS further asks to get notified if a cell line is tested SMRV positive.

For further SMRV information

  • Bericht der Geschäftstelle der ZKBS zu SMRV (German only)
  • Stellungnahme der ZKBS zur Kontamination von Zelllinien mit dem Squirrel Monkey Retrovirus (German only)

In addition, testing of cell cultures for certain viruses is very helpful since they can be non-exclusive markers for some frequently used cell lines. As such, HeLa cell contamination can be identified by testing for human papillomavirus 18 (HPV 18). Other common cell lines have been immortalised by transfection with viral genes or whole genomes (SV40, Adenovirus, EBV, HHV6, HHV8, HBV). This knowledge can help to further characterise cell culture's purity.

 

 

Multiplexion - Advanced Detection

 
 
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