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Abstract Background and objectives: Candida albicans is a human opportunistic fungus causing mucosal and systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals. There is evidence of increasing resistance to antifungal agents, thus it is necessary to search about new formulations for finding the antifungal agents. Some plants have antimicrobial properties due to presence of components such as polyphenols. We aimed at evaluating antifungal effects of Carvacrol essence, which is the main compound of essential oil of Thymus vulgaris, on standard Fluconazole sensitive and resistance strains of Candida albicans. Material and Methods: This study evaluated the antiCandida activity of essential oil Carvacrol by means of Inhibitory zone diameter and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), using Microdilution broth and Disc diffusion methods. To do this, Serial dilutions (10-100 µl) of essential oils were made in 96 well microtiter plates. The wells’ opacity was assessed by using a microtiter plate reader of solution. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of essential oil Carvacrol and Fluconazole were measured by counting the number of colony in Dextro agar medium. Results: the minimum inhibitory concentration of Carvacrol essence in standard strains and Fluconazole-resistance Candida albicans are, respectively, 5.3 and 6.18µg/ml, and the Minimal Fungicide Concentration (MFC) are 10.61 and 12. 3µg/ml. Inhibitory zone diameters are 45 and 35 millimeter for Fluconazole sensitive and resistance Candida albicans, respectively. Conclusion: the results show that essence of Carvacrol has suitable antifungal effects against standard strains and Fluconazole sensitive and resistance of Candida albicans. These herbal essences, after supplementary studies, possibly can be used for infections caused by Candidas. Key words: Antifungal activity Carvacrol Candida albicans Fluconazole

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Abstract Background and Objective: With the development of drug resistance in strains of fungi, there is a considerable resistance of Candida albicans strains to fluconazole. Molecular studies are developing to determine the relationship of such a drug resistance with the increased gene expression of enzymes produced in drug-resistant Candida isolates. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between extracellular lipase gene (LIP8) expression of Candida albicans isolated from candidiasis and sensitivity or resistance to fluconazole. Material and Methods: Drug susceptibility of Candida albicans was performed in oral and vaginal candidiasis to determine the proportion of strains sensitive or resistant to fluconazole using NCCLS method. To evaluate and compare the expression of these genes in the susceptible and resistant strains, RT real-time PCR reaction was used. Results: Of 46 Candida albicans, 20 were susceptible, 12 were semi-susceptible and 14 were resistant to fluconazole. By using PCR reaction, the results showed that the expression of this gene in fluconazole-susceptible isolates was moderate, while it was high in the isolates resistant to fluconazole. Conclusion: The results of lipase gene (LIP8) expression showed that the additional expression of some genes of the enzymes responsible for virulence of Candida may also play a role in resistance to fluconazole. Keywords: Candidiasis, Lipase Gene Expression, RT real-time PCR, Fluconazole

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Background and objectives: The incidence of drug-resistant candidiasis has increased dramatically. This study aimed to evaluate antifungal effects of fluconazole alone and in combination with ibuprofen on isolates from patients with mucosal candidiasis.
      Methods: Candida species isolates from 142 patients with suspected mucosal (oral and vaginal) candidiasis were identified by culture on CHROMagar Candida medium and carbohydrate assimilation test using the API 20CAUX kit. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of fluconazole alone and in combination with ibuprofen was determined by the broth microdilution method.
      Results: Among isolates, 43.7% were identified as Candida species (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candidia parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, Candida guilliermondii and Candida kefyr). The highest rate of fluconazole resistance was observed among C. albicans (50%) isolates. MIC₉₀ of ibuprofen-fluconazole combination against C. albicans isolates was 32 μg/mL, which was 8-fold less than that of fluconazole alone (MIC₉₀=256 μg/mL) (P<0.01). Moreover, the MIC₉₀ of fluconazole-ibuprofen combination against C. parapsilosis isolates was 4-fold less than that of fluconazole alone.
      Conclusion: Our results revealed partial fluconazole resistance among Candida isolates from patients with mucosal candidiasis. However, the resistance rate decreased 2.5 fold following treatment with the ibuprofen-fluconazole combination. Therefore, it is recommended to further investigate the therapeutic potential of this drug combination for treatment of fungal infections, such as candidiasis.

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Background and objectives: Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in the agricultural and healthcare sectors have led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Therefore, finding alternative antimicrobial compounds, such as phytochemicals, is of great importance. This study evaluated the feasibility of carvacrol as an antifungal agent in suppressing the planktonic and hyphal growth of clinical isolates of fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida tropicalis.
Methods: Clinical isolates of fluconazole-resistant C. tropicalis were identified using the CLSI guidelines and the World Health Organization's WHONET software. The inhibitory effect of carvacrol on planktonic cells was assessed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill profile. The inhibitory effect of carvacrol on hyphal growth was studied by using light field microscopy.
Results: The findings indicated that 50% of clinical isolates of C. tropicalis were resistant to fluconazole. The MIC90 and MIC50 of carvacrol against clinical isolates of fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant C. tropicalis were 25.00-300.00 µg/ml and 12.50-100.00 µg/ml, respectively. The time-kill analysis indicated that carvacrol exhibited fungicidal activity against the fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant C. tropicalis isolates 2-48 hours after exposure. Moreover, planktonic and hyphal growth of the isolates decreased significantly after exposure to carvacrol.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that carvacrol exhibits inhibitory effects on the planktonic and hyphal cells of fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant C. tropicalis isolates. Therefore, the antifungal potential of carvacrol as a natural antifungal could be further exploited for the treatment of resistant C. tropicalis infections

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Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) remains one of the most common infections of the female genital tract. This local study was conducted to identify the spectrum of Candida species associated with VVC and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) using different phenotypic and genotypic methods and assess their fluconazole susceptibility.
Methods: High vaginal swabs were collected from 576 patients with VVC. Swabs were subjected to KOH 10% and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar. The species identification of Candida isolates was made using phenotypic methods, including the germ tube test, corn meal agar (CMA), CHROMagar Candida, and PCR-RFLP as the best genotypic methods for confirmation of Candida species in vulvovaginal candidiasis. Fluconazole susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method.
Results: The data were analyzed using the chi-square test. The prevalence of candidiasis was 61%. The socio-demographic profile corresponded to a woman aged 29.14 ± 4.8 years on average, pregnant (77%), diabetic (19%), with hypertension (10%), recurrent (9%), a history of fluconazole use (4%), and under 30 years of age (73%).
Vaginal swab cultures yielded Candida growth in 352 cases (61%). Candida albicans was the predominant isolated species (78%), while the most common non-albicans species were C. glabrata (14.7%), C. parapsilosis (4.2%), C. tropicalis (2.8%), and C. krusei (0.56%). Isolates of C. glabrata and C. krusei exhibited the highest rate of DDS resistance among all isolates tested.
Conclusion: C. albicans was the most common species. Careful periodical surveillance is needed to identify any changes in the susceptibility patterns to fluconazole with the increased use of this antifungal agent in Sayad Shirazi tertiary care hospital, Iran.