Evaluación de la eficacia antimicótica del aceite esencial PIPER IMPERIALE FRENTE A CANDIDA SPP. provenientes de muestras clínicas: Utilizando dos técnicas de sensibilidad fúngica validadas en un hospital público de la provincia de Santa Elena

Abstract

This research tests Piper imperiale essential oil as a treatment option for Candida spp. resistance to conventional antifungals. The most common species in the clinical samples tested was Candida albicans, which accounted for 62% of the cases, followed by Candida glabrata with 24% and Candida tropicalis with 14%. Kirby Bauer diffusion disk and microdilution methods were used to measure inhibition zones, whose inhibition percentages varied with oil concentration, reaching 100% inhibition at high concentrations. Candida ATTC 10231, proved to be effective with an inhibition percentage of 100 % ; 88.18% ; 80.00% ; 68, 73% at Piper imperiale oil concentrations of 2%,1%,0.5% and 0.2% These results, together with the detailed statistical analysis, indicate a clear dose dependence in the antifungal activity of the oil; the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) is determined, revealing a remarkable antifungal activity of the essential oil, especially effective at specific concentrations. In the second method, an inhibition percentage of 55.61% was achieved for Candida ATTC 10231 with a MIC of 6894, 286 ug/mL. The findings highlight the diversity in the sensitivity of the strains to common antifungals such as voriconazole and fluconazole, as well as the distinct efficacy of the essential oil in inhibiting fungal growth. This study not only confirms that Candida albicans is highly