Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why should I use Normocin instead of Penicillin / Streptomycin ?

Beta-lactam antibiotics (such as penicillin) and aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as streptomycin) are chemicals that should not be mixed: together they undergo chemical reactions which lead to their degradation within 24 hours.

Normocin remains active in the cell culture medium over a much longer period of time (several days), thus protecting the culture more consistantly.

Can I use Normocin in cultures with Penicillin / Streptomycin ?

Yes, it will not be deleterious to your cultured cell-lines.

Read also the Activity Spectrum Page for more details about the benefits of this antibiotic association.

For preventive treatment of my cultures, should I use Normocin or Plasmocin ?

The choice of preventive treatment depends on the kind of contaminants you may have observed in your cell-culture facility. Each cell-culture room is a specific case. If bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi are the most frequent contaminants in a given facility, Normocin is best suited. If contaminations are mostly due to mycoplasmas, plasmocin should be used instead.

Note that the dominant kind of infection may change according to the calendar. For example, during winter your primary concern may be mycoplasmas (plasmocin preventive treatment), but with rising temperatures and hygrometry around summer the bane of yeast contaminations may overide most concerns about mycoplasma infections.

TIPS & TRICKS

It is difficult to avoid contamination when an animal sample is taken in order to establish primary cell-lines. To prevent multiplication of the accidental contaminants within the primary culture, use of Normocin is greatly convenient.