Elimination of the M. hyorhinis from murine neuroblastoma cell lines by in vivo passage.

Cell lines derived from a murine neuroblastoma, Clone N18, were cured of their M. hyorhinis infection by in vivo passage. The major variable determining success of this method was found to be the incubation time in vivo. Infected cells maintained in vivo for 27 d or more and then placed in culture were free of mycoplasma whereas those maintained in vivo for 7 or 14 d were found to still be infected. This approach to eliminating mycoplasma infection may be successful using other tumor cell lines.