Antifungal activity of allylamine derivatives.

The antifungal activity of the two allylamine derivatives, naftifine and terbinafine was investigated against 25 clinical isolates of filamentous fungi by agar dilution method. The isolates included Aspergillus sp. (10), Penicillium sp. (3), Cladosporium sp. (3), Rhizopus sp. (3), Paecilomyces sp. (2), Syncephalastrum sp. (1), Pyrenochaeta romeroi (1), Piedraia hortae (1) and Mortierella sp. (1). Terbinafine was found to be more active than naftifine, inhibiting 50 per cent (MIC 50) and 90 per cent (MIC 90) of the isolates of Aspergillus sp., at 0.1 and 0.5 microgram/ml respectively. The MIC 50s for the other isolates of hyalohyphomycetes, dematiaceous fungi and zygomycetes were 1, 5 and 100 micrograms/ml respectively. Naftifine inhibited 50 and 90 per cent of the Aspergillus sp., at 1 and 5 micrograms/ml, respectively. The MIC 50s for the other hyalohyphomycetes, dematiaceous fungi and zygomycetes were 5, 10 and 100 micrograms/ml respectively.