Abdulkawi Ali Al-Fakih^{1, 2,}, Mohammed Mansour Saleh Saif³, Mohammed Ameen Farhan¹, Dammag Rafik Al-Najjar¹, Mohammed Hamoud Alhothifi⁴

Fungal infections are increasingly recognized as an emerging threat to public health. They are treated by antifungal drugs; however fungal resistance continues to increase and complicate patient management, despite the introduction of new antifungal drugs. Antifungal activities of crude extracts of seven plant species were evaluated against ten species of fungi causing cutaneous mycoses. The antifungal susceptibility testing of five commercial antifungal drugs against the tested fungi were also investigated. The plant extract showing the strongest activity was submitted to two-fold dilution broth method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC). All tested fungal species, except C. albicans, were susceptible to nystatin with inhibition zone diameters in the range of 20−28 mm. All fungal species were found to be resistant for fluconazole. The aqueous extract of A. nilotica showed a greater antifungal activity against all tested fungi, with inhibition zone diameters in the range of 13−24 mm. The lowest MIC value of A. nilotica was 0.62 mg/ml against all tested fungi, except M. canis, E. floccosum, and C. albicans, which showed MIC values of 1.25 mg/ml. Three plant species, namely Cissus rotundifolia, Psiadia arabica, and Pulicaria jaubertii were inactive against all tested fungi. In conclusion, A. nilotica had the most potent antifungal activity against the tested fungi. Therefore, A. nilotica might be potentially valuable as a source of natural antifungal agents.

plant extracts, antifungal activity, cutaneous mycoses