Antifungal activity of eugenol and clove leaf essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L.) against clinical isolates of candida species

Candida species are causative microorganisms of oropharyngeal, vulvovaginal, and skin infections. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) and eugenol oil have considerable antifungal activity against human pathogenic fungi, including Candida species. The anticandidal action of the studied oils is significantly dependent on the concentration of eugenol and further main and minor constituents of the oils with well-known antifungal effects must have additional and synergistic activities. This study was conducted to compare the antifungal activity of clove leaf essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L.) and eugenol to determine the role of the content other than eugenol in clove leaf essential oil as an antifungal against Candida species isolates from HIV-AIDS patients. Methods: This study is an in vitro test using the disk diffusion method to determine the zone of inhibition of clove leaf essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L.) concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15% as well as eugenol which was equivalent to the concentration of eugenol in clove leaf essential oil at concentrations of 5%, 10% and 15% in 40 isolates of Candida species.