AbstractThe increasing prevalence of antifungal resistance among Candida species poses a major threatto global healthcare systems, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The emergence ofmultidrug-resistant (MDR) strains has reduced the efficacy of conventional antifungal agents,necessitating the search for alternative therapeutic strategies. The present study investigates theantifungal susceptibility patterns of clinical isolates of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, andCandida parapsilosis, and evaluates the in vitro antifungal potential of aqueous and ethanolicextracts of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). Antifungal susceptibility testing revealedresistance to Amphotericin B, Nystatin, and Itraconazole, while susceptibility was observedagainst Fluconazole, Ketoconazole, and Clotrimazole. Agar well diffusion assays demonstratedthat ethanolic extracts exhibited superior antifungal activity compared to aqueous extracts, withmaximum inhibition observed against C. albicans (17 mm). Minimum Inhibitory Concentration(MIC) values ranged from 0.0125 g/mL to 0.025 g/mL, while Minimum FungicidalConcentration (MFC) analysis confirmed fungicidal activity at higher concentrations. Thefindings highlight the potential of lemongrass extracts as effective natural antifungal agentsagainst MDR Candida species and support their further development for therapeuticapplications.
Ashvani Kumar and Vivek Srivastava (Tue,) studied this question.