A Holistic Approach To The Prevention Of Mycoplasma Contamination

By Guy Matthews, Market Development Manager, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Ltd

Any contamination of a biopharmaceutical production process is to be avoided for obvious quality, safety and economic reasons.

However, once a contamination occurs, the rapid detection and elimination is important in order to prevent further spread and higher decontamination costs.

Bacterial contamination is easy to detect because there are very clear signs when it occurs, i.e., a spike in oxygen demand as the system tries to maintain the dissolved oxygen levels. Mycoplasma is potentially the most problematic form of contamination, as it is the most difficult to detect.