In vitro antifungal activity of Allium hirtifolium in comparison with the miconazole

Objective: Shallots are important part of the diet for many people and there is long-held belief in their health enhancing properties. The aim of this study was to determine antifungal activity of shallot against reference fungal strains. Methods: Alcoholic and aqueous extracts of shallot (Allium hirtifolium) were tested for in vitro antifungal activities against Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium gryseogenum, Alternaria, Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using broth macrodilution method. The effects of shallot extracts were also compared with those of miconazole. Results: Allium hirtifolium showed antifungal activity against all the fungi species tested with MIC values ranging from 0.058 to 0.8 mg/ml for alcoholic extract and 0.26 to 3.84 mg/ml for aqueous extract. The minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of alcoholic and aqueous extracts ranged from 0.1 to 12.8 mg/ml and 0.6 to 68.26mg/ml, respectively. Conclusions: The results indicate that crude juice of shallot has antifungal activity and might be promising, at least, in treatment of fungal-associated diseases from mentioned fungi.