Can antibiotics be used in cell culture?

Yes. Antibiotics can be used in cell cultures to prevent bacterial infection. However, antibiotics should never be used routinely, because they can impair cell growth and differentiation. Besides, the continuous use of antibiotics can encourage the development of antibiotic-resistant strains and allow low-level contamination to persist. Once the antibiotic is removed from the media, a full-scale contamination may be developed. Therefore, antibiotics should only be used as a last resort and only for short-term applications, which should be removed from the culture as soon as possible.