Antifungal Activity of Some Essential Oils on Cotton Fabrics

Pathogenic microorganisms, bacteria and fungi such as Trichophyton interdigitale may easily develop inside footwear (cotton linings), causing “foot fungus” or “athlete's foot”, a fungal infection that affects the skin, especially in the interdigital space and nails. Previous studies have shown that some essential oils have antibacterial and antifungal effect. The aim of the present study was to test antifungal activity of five essential oils (origanum, clove, orange, lavender and cinnamon) applied onto the cotton fabric used for shoe lining, with the purpose of preventing mycoses caused by Trichophyton interdigitale. The antifungal activities of the tested essential oils against Trichophyton interdigitale revealed that origanum and cinnamon oils, as well as the combination of origanum-clove-orange and clove-lavender-cinnamon completely inhibited the growth of Trichophyton interdigitale on cotton fabrics, with potential application in footwear production and/or exploitation.