Screening of some essential oils for their activities on dermatophytes.

Fifty-three essential oils were tested against three frequently occurring dermatophytes (Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, T. rubrum) by means of an agar dilution technique. The oils were selected at random and not on the basis of a supposed activity. A number of oils showed interesting activities, expressed as maximum inhibitory dilution values, against the dermatophytes used. At the highest dilution tested (1:3,200, vol/vol), one out of six oils was active against T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, and one out of three to four oils was active against the other dermatophytes.