Effect of buffers on testing of Candida species susceptibility to flucytosine

Synthetic amino acid medium for fungi (SAAMF) is a totally defined, nutritionally adequate, macromolecule-free culture medium for fungi that is buffered with an organic weak acid-weak base pair: 2-(N-morpholino)-propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) and 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (Tris). In 1984, it was reported that MOPS-Tris in SAAMF antagonized the activity of flucytosine against Candida albicans (D. L. Calhoun and J. N. Galgiani, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 26:364-367, 1984). Accordingly, we evaluated the buffering capacity of seven synthetic organic buffers and monobasic potassium phosphate, both singly and in pairs, over the pH range 7.4 to 6.0. Of these buffers, MOPS, BES [N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminomethanesulfonic acid], a BES-MOPS combination, and KH2PO4 provided the best buffering. Growth of C. albicans, in unbuffered SAAMF was equivalent overall to that in SAAMF containing buffers, singly or in pairs. Twelve strains of C. albicans and five strains of Candida lusitaniae were tested for susceptibility to flucytosine in SAAMF, with and without buffers. In the presence of Tris, the geometric mean MICs were 6.5- and 3.6-fold higher, respectively, for C. albicans and C. lusitaniae. We recommend replacing Tris with the nonantagonistic MOPS.