Abstract:Aspergillosis is an acute chronic and rapidly fatal disease which is not contagious. Invasive Aspergillosis is often found in severely immuno-suppressed patients, and is characterized by invasion of blood vessels which can result into dissemination to other organs. Aspergilloma is a fungal ball that develops in previous cavitary lung lesions. Essential oils and their volatile constituents have been used as antifungal, anti-infectious and antimicrobial agents. Inhalation of vapours of the essential oils kill invaders attached to the inner respiratory lining and work synergistically with the body defences. In this study, 16 essential oils were used against Aspergillus niger and A. fumigatus of which about 14 oils proved to be effective. Results showed that the most effective oils against both Aspergillus species were found to be of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon), Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Carum carvi (Caraway), Cymbopogon citrates (Lemongrass), Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel) and Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg). Moderately effective oils were of Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen), Pinus palustris (Turpentine), Sesamum indicum (Sesame), Trachyspermum ammi (Ajowain) and Origanum vulgare (Oregano). The oils of Lavandula augustifolia (Lavender), Elletaria cardamomum (Cardamon) and Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella) showed minimum activity. Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Linum usitatissimum (Linseed) showed no activity giving no inhibition zones.
Piedra, is an asymptomatic fungal infection of the hair shaft, resulting in the formation of nodules of different hardness on the infected hair. The infection also known as Trichomycosis nodularis is a superficial fungal infection arising from the pathogen being restricted to the stratum corneum with little or no tissue reaction. The nodules are a concretion of hyphae and fruiting bodies of the fungus. Two varieties of Piedra may be seen, Black Piedra and White Piedra. The fungus Trichosporon ovoides is involved in the occurrence of both types of Piedras. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of selected essential oils for the control of growth of the fungus and to determine whether the antifungal effect was due to the major compounds of the oils. Two screening methods viz. Agar well diffusion assay and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration were adopted for the study. MIC and MFC were determined by tube dilution
ABSTRACT-Trichosporon sp. are widely distributed in nature and can predominantly be found in the environmental substrates, such as soil, birds, vegetables, water, and decomposing wood. These fungi can colonize skin and, less frequently, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of humans. Currently, the genus Trichosporon sp. is considered one of the most important emerging causes of invasive infection in immune compromised patients, with T. asahii being the most frequently reported species. In this study, T. asahii was procured from MTCC and its sensitivity was checked against different solvents (Methanol, Ethanol, Acetone, and Chloroform) of Iris ensata, a medicinal plant. Zone of inhibition and MIC were evaluated using Agar well diffusion assay and Tube dilution broth assay. Ketoconazole and Nystatin B were used as positive controls. Phytochemical screening was done to determine the phytochemicals present in the plant. The methanol extract was found to be most effective compared to other solvent extracts and positive controls. Phytochemicals play a major role in this anti Trichosporon activity.
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