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Research Article Volume 14 Issue 2
Analysis of in vitro activity of Cymbopogon citraus (lemon grass) and Ocimum gratissimum (scent leaf) essential oils on dematiaceous fungi isolated from Uli community
Osuji Malachy Ikeokwu, Ogonna Friday Okereke, Onyekachi Joy Ogbonna, Chigozie Ebuka Mgbemena
Received: April 01, 2026 | Published: April 14, 2026
Citation: Ikeokwu OM, Okereke OF, Ogbonna OJ, et al. Analysis of in vitro activity of Cymbopogon citraus (lemon grass) and Ocimum gratissimum (scent leaf) essential oils on dematiaceous fungi isolated from Uli community. J Microbial Exp. 2026;14(2):32-35. DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2026.14.00454
Abstract
The increase in subcutaneous infection has prompted the need to diversify antifungal agents. This study investigated an in vitro activity of Cymbopogon citraus and Ocimum gratissimum essential oils on dematiaceous fungi isolated from Uli community, Anambra state. Two hundred and ten soil samples were randomly collected from three sampled communities. Also, two different plants’ leaves ( Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum gratissimum) were purchased from the communities. The soil samples were analyzed for the presence of dematiaceous fungi using standard microbiological technique, and characterization of the isolates was carried out using cultural, microscopy, and mycology atlas. The essential oils were extracted using Soxhlet extractor and normal hexane. An in vitro antifungal activity of the essential oils on dematiaceous fungi was evaluated using macro tube dilution method, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) were determined using standard microbiological technique. The morphological features of the fungal isolates showed dark reverse pigmentation, which portrayed dematiaceous fungi. A total number of ten dematiaceous fungi were isolated from the three communities, of which Umuaku recorded the highest occurrence (50%), while the least was Aluoha (20%). Statistically, there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in the occurrence of the fungal isolates in the sampled communities. The in vitro antifungal activity of the essential oils showed that Cymbopogon citratus was higher than Ocimum gratissimum as indicated in MFC values of 0.10mg/mL and 0.25mg/mL, respectively. Therefore, these essentials oils could serve as novel antifungal agents in curbing subcutaneous mycoses.
Keywords: Dematiaceous fungi, essential oil, antifungal agents, Subcutaneous infection
©2026 Ikeokwu, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.