Antifungal Effect of Some Essential Volatile Oils Against Some Yeast and Dermatophytes

Abstract

Fungal infections (mycoses) in human being and animals are a major problem in tropical and subtropical countries due to prevailing humidity and temperature regimens. (IJ

Fungi, like mammalian cells are eukaryotes, that is, they possess a true nucleus containing several chromosomes bounded by a nuclear membrane. Fungal cell walls have no counterpart in mammalian cells and they differ from those of bacteria by lacking peptidoglycans, teichoic acids and lipopolysaccharides. In their place are the external and the antigenic peptidomannans imbedded in matrices of a and glucans and their rigidity is provided by sheets, desks or fibrils of chitin ( 2l

An increased incidence of fungal infections has been documented since 1980,. The introduction of modem patient management technologies and therapies such as bone marrow or solid organ transplant, new and more effective chemotherapeutic agents and the more aggressive use of chemotherapy have resulted in a rapidly expanding number of patients with chemically induced immunosuppression. These patient populations now survive longer and become highly susceptible to life threatening fungal infections. (J)

Mycoses are either occur in the body external to common immunologic influences (superficial), or produce delay hypersensitivity responses (cutaneous) or represent successful challenge to major immunologic host defense mechanisms (subcutaneous and systemic)