SURVEY OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST CERTAIN HUMAN FUNGAL PATHOGENS

Antifungal agents (A.f.A.) play an important role in the treatment of human serious diseases. Therefore, A.f.A. from natural sources was preferred than that synthetic compounds. Methanol, methanol: water; (1:1), water, chloroform and benzene extracts of thirty two plant organs; sixteen desert and sixteen cultivated plant organs were assessed against forty six human fungal pathogenic isolates; twelve (yeast), two (yeast like fungi) and thirty two (filamentous fungi).From the five assessed extracts, chloroform extracts exhibit the most significant activity followed by benzene, methanol: water; (1:1) and methanol, while, water extracts exhibited the least activity. Chloroform extracts revealed the highest inhibitory effect against the mycelial growth of the human fungal isolates. Thymus serpyllum L. (desert plant) andAnethum graveolens (cultivated plant) were active against Aspergillus tamarii 1 andPenicillium marneffeiisolated from eyes andblood, respectively. Scientifically, this study recommended the use of these plant extracts as a potent antifungal agent after their purification and identification.