Anticandidal activity of medicinal plants and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains of clinical specimens

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the in vitro anticandidal activity of some medicinal plants and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains against Candida species. The antifungal activity of methanolic extracts of five medicinal plants, namely, Cinnamomum porrectum, Lippia nudiflora, Cestrum nocturnum, Trachyspermum ammi, and Sida carpinifolia were studied. The medicinal characteristics of these plants were compared with commercially used antibiotics. The antimicrobial assay was done by agar well diffusion and the broth dilution method. Among the plants used, T. ammi and C. nocturnum were found to be more potent than the others. Twenty P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from various clinical specimens. The total inhibitions obtained were found to be 47%, 38%, and 36% in blood agar, whereas in Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) the inhibitions were 57%, 48%, and 37%, respectively.

Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; anticandidal activity; candida species; medicinal plants.