Publication Search

Tinea incognito is a dermatophyte fungal infection when the clinical picture becomes unclear due to inappropriate treatment, which is usually caused by the use of topical steroids in cases of skin infections. A 46-year-old woman came with complaints of itchy reddish patches all over her body, experienced for 2 years. The itching worsened when consuming anchovies. The patient said she often took medication bought from a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription, the patient took methylprednisolone tablets and ointment. The itching complaint improved, but after stopping taking the medication, the itching complaint increased, and the patches widened. The patches first appeared on the right leg, initially resembling prickly heat spots then widened and spread to other parts of the body. Currently, the patches appear red in the shape of a ring with a clearer center. The patches were found on the face, neck, chest, abdomen, back, buttocks, left hand, and left foot. The patient noticed within a few months after taking the medication that her body was swollen, her weight increased, and her face looked rounder. A 20% KOH examination found hyphae and spores. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with Tinea Incognito caused by long-term topical steroid use. The patient was prescribed antifungal therapy with Ketoconazole 200 mg tablets once daily and Ketoconazole cream twice daily.

Leaves of Etlingera walang (Blume) RMSm have been empirically used in traditional medicine to relieve stomach disorders and are known to contain secondary metabolites with potential antimicrobial properties. Salmonella typhi infection can cause typhoid fever with symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain, while Candida tropicalis is a fungus that can infect the gastrointestinal tract and lead to digestive disturbances. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the ethanolic extract of E. walang leaves against S. typhi and C. tropicalis. The antimicrobial assay was carried out using the disk diffusion method at extract concentrations of 25%, 50%, and 100%, with chloramphenicol and ketoconazole as positive controls, and DMSO as the negative control. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. However, the results showed that the extract did not produce inhibition zones against either test microorganism. Extract evaluation indicated a moisture content of 12.23%, total ash 13.39% (above the standard), acid-insoluble ash 1.25%, total plate count 1.8 × 10 ⁴ , and mold and yeast count 1.0 × 10 ³. The findings suggest that although the ethanolic extract of E. walang leaves contains secondary metabolites and is traditionally used for stomach ailments, it does not exhibit antimicrobial activity against S. typhi or C. tropicalis.

Fungal infections are a common health problem in tropical regions, including Indonesia, since humid conditions support microbial growth. Candida tropicalis is a pathogenic species frequently identified as the cause of both superficial and systemic candidiasis. The rising resistance to synthetic antifungal agents such as fluconazole and ketoconazole highlights the need for safer and more effective alternative therapies. Propolis, a resinous substance produced by Trigona sp. bees from various plant sources, contains flavonoids, phenolics, and terpenoids with important biological activities, including antimicrobial and antifungal effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ethanol extract of propolis from Balikpapan against the growth of Candida tropicalis using the disk diffusion method. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, and terpenoids in the extract. Antifungal activity testing showed that concentrations of 80%, 90%, and 100% significantly inhibited fungal growth, with the largest inhibition zone of 27.93 mm observed at 100% concentration. Statistical analysis using ANOVA confirmed significant differences among treatments. Thus, ethanol extract of Trigona sp. propolis from Balikpapan demonstrates strong potential as a natural antifungal agent. These findings support the use of propolis as a natural-based therapeutic alternative for fungal infections and contribute to the development of herbal pharmaceutical products.

Fungal infection is an infectious disease that has a fairly high prevalence in tropical countries. Fungi that cause infections include Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur. Sungkai plants (Peronema canescens) can be used as antifungals because they contain secondary metabolite compunds, such as flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. The pupose of this study was to determine the antifungal activities of 96% ethanol extract of sungkai leaves against Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur. The antifungal activity test of the extract used the disc diffusion method with test solution concentrations of 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% with ketoconazole as positive control and sterile aquadest as a negative control. The best inhibition results were obtained at a concentration of 50% with an average inhibition zone of 9.8mm (moderate category) against Candida albicans and an average inhibition zone of 6.88mm (moderate category) against Malassezia furfur. This shows that ethanol extract of sungkai leaves has antifungal activities.

The present study was aimed at gaining knowledge about the type of pathogen responsible for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) infections and evaluating the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts against Candida spp. antibiotic resistance. 112 samples were taken from infected women with VVC of different ages from September to December 2024. All specimens were collected from Al Hussein Teaching Hospital/ Al- Thiqar- governorate. The results showed that 67 (59.82%) of all cases had positive results for Candida spp., while 45 (40.18%) had negative results. Candida spp. Isolated from VVC were C. albicans, the most prevalent 33 (49.26%), C. glabrata, 12 (17.91%), C. krusi and C. kefyr, 9 (13.43%), and C. guilliermondii, 4 (6.90%). The antifungal sensitivity of the pathogenic Candida spp. was tested against five types of antifungals, and the results showed the highest resistance to ketoconazole was 66 (98.51%) of Candida spp. Because of the presence of these physiologically active chemicals, Zizyphus spina-christi L. exhibits antimicrobial capabilities. In this study, the main aim is to study the antifungal activity of Ziziphus spina-christi leaf extract on some resistant candida and conduct analysis to confirm that the Ziziphus spina-christi leaves have phytochemical contents. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to find the bioactive components present in extracts of Z. spina-christi leaves. Finally, we decided the inhibitory activity of Ziziphus spina-christi leaves extract. The extract of Ziziphus spina-christi had alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, tannic acid, and terpenoids, according to a preliminary phytochemical screen. In addition, GC-MS analysis of the extract confirmed the presence of many beneficial chemicals. The extract showed promising antimicrobial activity for Candida spp. (C. albicans, C. glabrata,C. krusi , C. kefyr, and C. guilliermondii)  . These results show that the Ziziphus spina-christi leaves extract is a valuable resource for bioactive chemicals with potential uses in a variety of biological contexts.