The effects of supplementing Mueller-Hinton broth with calcium and magnesium on the miniimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of eight aminoglycosides, colistin, tetracycline, and carbenicillin for 11 nonfermenters other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa were studied and compared with the effects for Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa. MICs were simultaneously performed in unsupplemented MuellerHinton broth and Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented to contain 5 mg of calcium and 2.5 mg of magnesium per dl. Changes in MICs were expressed as the increases in the number of log2 concentrations caused by supplementation. The usual increases in MICs of aminoglycosides caused by supplementation were: zero concentrations for E. coli, one to six concentrations for P. aeruginosa, and one to two concentrations for most other nonfermenters. The largest increases (five to six concentrations) were observed with gentamicin and P. aeruginosa. The usual increases in MICs of colistin were: zero concentrations for E. coli, two concentrations for P. aeruginosa, and one to two concentrations for other nonfermenters. Increases in MICs of tetracycline were: one to five concentrations for all organisms tested. The usual increases in MICs of carbenicillin were: zero concentrations for E. coli and P. aeruginosa and zero to two concentrations for other nonfermenters. These observations indicated that supplementation of Mueller-Hinton broth to contain recommended concentrations of calcium and magnesium had little effect on MICs of aminoglycosides and colistin for E. coli but increased MICs for most nonfermenters, increased MICs of tetracycline for E. coli and all nonfermenters, and had little effect on MICs of carbenicillin for E. coli and P. aeruginosa but increased the MICs for several nonfermenters other than P. aeruginosa.The antagonistic effect of divalent cations on the antibacterial activity of aminoglycosides (7), polymyxins (12), and tetracycline (18) has been recognized for many years. The largest number of reports (1,3,5,8,9,11,15,19) have documented the marked effects of the calcium and magnesium content in broth media on the activity of gentamicin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa but not Enterobacteriaceae. Because commercially available media vary considerably in their calcium and magnesium contents (8,9,11,15,17), it has been recommended that susceptibility testing by broth dilution techniques utilize Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB), a medium low in calcium and magnesium content, which is supplemented to contain physiological condentrations of those cations (3,9,15,16).This study was designed to determine the effects of supplementing MHB with calcium and magnesium on the in vitro activities of eight aminoglycoside antibiotics, colistin, and tetracycline against nonfermenters other than P. aeruginosa; strains of Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa were included for comparison. Carbenicillin, an antibiotic active against P. aeruginosa, but not markedly affected by calcium and magnesium (3,5,15,19)