Antifungal Activity of Iris ensata against Trichosporon asahii Causing Invasive Trichosporonosis

Trichosporon sp. are widely distributed in nature and can predominantly be found in the environmental substrates, such as soil, birds, vegetables, water, and decomposing wood. These fungi can colonize skin and, less frequently, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of humans. Currently, the genus Trichosporon sp. is considered one of the most important emerging causes of invasive infection in immune compromised patients, with T. asahii being the most frequently reported species. In this study, T. asahii was procured from MTCC and its sensitivity was checked against different solvents (Methanol, Ethanol, Acetone, and Chloroform) of Iris ensata, a medicinal plant. Zone of inhibition and MIC were evaluated using Agar well diffusion assay and Tube dilution broth assay. Ketoconazole and Nystatin B were used as positive controls. Phytochemical screening was done to determine the phytochemicals present in the plant. The methanol extract was found to be most effective compared to other solvent extracts and positive controls. Phytochemicals play a major role in this anti Trichosporon activity. Key-wordsYeast infection, Trichosporon, Medicinal plant, Phytochemicals test INTRODUCTION Trichosporon species are soil inhabitants and can be part of the normal flora of the human skin and gastrointestinal tract [1,2] . Invasive infection due to Trichosporon species is rare. However, during the past 2 decades Trichosporon species have emerged as important opportunistic pathogens in immune-compromised individuals [3-8] . Because the traditional classification and nomenclature for Trichosporon species were complicated, a new nomenclature based on molecular techniques has been proposed [1,9-12] . The previously named T. beigelii, the main pathogen that causes Trichosporon diseases, refers to 6 species in the new nomenclature (T. asahii, T. cutaneum, T. inkin, T. asteroides, T. mucoides, and T. ovoides) [1,4] . Another clinically important species, T. capitatum, had been referred to as Blastoschizomyces capitatus [13] . T. japonicum, first isolated from the air in Japan, was recently reported to cause infection in humans [9] . The basidiomycetous yeast, Trichosporon Behrend, is a medically important genus that includes the causative Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: