Antifungal activity of herbal extracts against Malassezia species

Background: Malassezia spp. is an opportunistic dimorphic Basidiomycetous fungi associated with a variety of diseases including dandruff, atopic eczema, pityriasis versicolor, seborrheic dermatitis and folliculitis. It also causes systemic infections in immune compromised patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of nettle leaves (Urtica dioica), colocynths fruits (Citrullus colocynthis), green tea (Camellia sinensis), burdock root (Arctium lappa) extracts and ketoconazole against 26 isolates of Malassezia spp., isolated from patients with Malassezia infections. Method: Twenty-six (26) Malassezia spp. identified by RFLPPCR, were isolated from patients with Malassezia infections. The antifungal activity was evaluated by micro broth dilution assay. Result: M. globosa (50%), M. furfur (46%) and M. slooffiae (4%) were the isolated strains. There was no significant difference between the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for colocynth extracts and ketoconazole. Also, the antimicrobial activity of green tea and burdock extracts against Malassezia spp. was not significantly different (P>0.05). The minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) values for green tea, colocynth extracts and ketoconazole against Malassezia spp. were the same (P>0.05). Conclusion: Further clinical studies are required to determine the efficacy of C. colocynthis ethanol extract, in the treatment of Malassezia skin disorders.