Molecular identification of Candida species isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis and evaluation of antifungal effects essential oil of Mentha aquatica L.

Mentha is a genus from the family Lamiaceae, whose essential oils has long been used in different forms. This herbal plant has traditionally been used as an alternative medicine to treat candidiasis. So, it seems crucial to find new antimicrobials that have fewer side effects. In this study, we investigated the antifungal effects of Mentha aquatica L essential oil on pathogenic Candida spp. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 137 Candida spp isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis. These yeasts were confirmed by Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Mentha aquatica L essential oil was prepared by water distillation and Clevenger apparatus. The antifungal activity of Mentha aquatica L essential oil and fluconazole versus Candida spp was determined by microbroth dilution method using CLSI guidelines. The most common species were identified that Candida albicans (63.5%), Candida glabrata (28.5%) and Candida krusei (8%), respectively. MIC50, MIC90 and geometric mean (GM) of fluconazole were 0.5 µg/ml, 4 µg/ml and 0.573 µg/ml and for Mentha aquatica L essential oil 1 µg/ml, 4 µg/ml and 0.931 µg/ml, respectively. The antifungal effect of fluconazole on Candida spp was higher than that of essential oil of plant. It seems that the inhibitory effect of essential oil of Mentha aquatica L has shown that this plant can be considered as a potential candidate for the development of antifungal drug in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.