In vitro Evaluation of Antifungal Activities of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) and Allium sativum (Garlic) Extracts on Fungal Isolates from Tinea Capitis

Aim: To evaluate the in-vitro antifungal activities of garlic and ginger extracts against fungal isolates from Tinea capitis. Study Design: This was cross-sectional research. Place and Duration of Study: Scalp scrapping samples were collected from village primary school children with Tinea capitis in Ebonyi state, Nigeria, while fresh garlic and ginger samples were purchased from Ogige market in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria. The analyses were done in Microbiology laboratory, University of Nigeria, Nsukka from June to September, 2023. Methodology: Forty samples of scalp scrapings collected from the head were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and head perforation test. Methanol and water were used in the extraction of the phytoconstituents of the plant samples. Qualitative phytochemical analysis was carried out on the plant extracts. The antifungal activities of the extracts, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were also determined. Results: The phytochemical analysis indicated that both plant extracts contain saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids and phenols. Two fungi species isolated were identified as Trichophyton spp and Microsporum spp. At dilutions of 400, 200, 100 and 50mg/ml, the methanolic extracts of the garlic had inhibition zone diameters (IZD) of 35, 30, 25 and 20 mm respectively on the Trichophyton spp whereas ginger had IZD of 25, 20, 15 and 13 mm respectively. On the other hand, the methanol extracts of ginger and garlic gave IZDs of 25, 20, 14, 12mm and 36, 28, 25, 21mm respectively on Microsporum spp. The methanol extracts of both plants were found to be more effective than their aqueous extracts. However, the garlic extracts had better antifungal effects on the two isolates than the ginger extracts. The combined extracts had better antifungal activities; at the various dilutions of 400, 200, 100 and 50mg/ml, it gave IZDs of 38, 32, 28 and 23mm on the Trichophyton spp compared to the single extracts. Conclusion: Both Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale were similarly active against Tinea capitis isolates. However, garlic was found to be more active than ginger, but have synergistic effect on each other. This study underscores the antifungal efficacies of A. sativum and Z. officinale as potential sources of novel anti-ringworm drugs especially when combined together.