Abstract: Objective To analyze interspecies cross-contamination of 160 non-human cell lines. Methods One hundred and sixty common non-human cell lines were collected and their species were identified by PCR. For the suspicious cells，chromosome analysis was further used to confirm their species. Results Six in 160 non-human cell lines were cross-contaminated. One rat cell line was mixed by a human cell line, and 5 were totally cross-contaminated, belonging species wrong. Conclusion 3.75% of non-human cell lines were cross-contaminated. Species identification is an indispensable part of cell quality control. Each cell line should undergo a full QA (Quality Assurance) assessment before it is used for research.

Key words: Cell lines, non-human, cell culture, quality control, species identification