EXPLORATION OF IN VITRO SYNERGISTIC ANTIFUNGAL POTENTIAL OF FICUS RACEMOSA AND CASSIA FISTULA L. AGAINST MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT MICROSPORUM CANIS

Microsporum canis is a worldwide-diffused pathogenic dermatophyte that can cause outbreaks in both human and animal populations. Considerable upsurge in the incidence of multidrug-resistant M. canis has created the urgency to identify and develop novel antifungals to avoid therapeutic failures during treatment. The present study was designed to explore the synergistic antifungal potential of fractionalized extract with different solvents of Ficus racemosa and Cassia fistula Leaves (L.) against multidrug-resistant M. canis by broth micro-dilution assay. The mixture of the methanolic fraction of both the extracts showed a potent antifungal activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1 µg/ml as compared to their pure fractions. The results provided a scientific validation for a possible and novel antifungal agent which should further be explored for its safety by using suitable animal trials.