EVALUATION OF THE ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA CHEEL ESSENTIAL OIL ON CLINICAL ISOLATE OF CANDIDA ALBICANS

Abstract

Yeasts of the Candida genus are of great importance due to the high frequency with which they colonize and infect the human host, being the species C. albicans the most common. The search for natural products that present an efficient antifungal action against microorganisms proves to be an alternative for the control of infections. The essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel (Myrtaceae) has proven antimicrobial action against bacteria and fungi and has been appointed as an option for the treatment of fungal infections caused by Candida genus. The objective of this work was to verify the antifungal activity, at different concentrations, of the commercial essential oil of M. alternifolia against a strain of clinical isolate of the species C. albicans. For the evaluation of antifungal activity, concentrations of 5 to 100% of the pure essentialoil of M. alternifolia were used in antimicrobial susceptibility tests by disk diffusion method, according to the norm established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, with modifications. According to the results obtained, the essential oil showed activity, inhibiting the growth of the microorganism, forming an inhibition halo from the concentration of 25%, with a variation from 3 to 17 mm. Thus, it can be said that the strain of the clinical isolate evaluated showed sensitivity to the essential oil of M. alternifolia, which demonstrates a good antimicrobial potential of the studied oil, arousing great pharmaceutical interest.