Evaluación de la actividad antifúngica in vitro del aceite esencial de Thymus vulgaris frente a Candida albicans ATCC 10231

Introduction. Thymus vulgaris essential oil has attracted scientific interest because of its antimicrobial properties and potential antifungal activity. Objective. To evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of Thymus vulgaris essential oil against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 by determining the inhibition zone diameters produced by concentrations of 10%, 25%, 50%, and 100%. Methods. An in vitro experimental study was conducted using the disk diffusion technique. Four concentrations of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (10%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) were evaluated against Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Disks impregnated with the different essential oil preparations were used, with fluconazole as the positive control and physiological saline as the negative control. Inhibition zone diameters were recorded in millimeters after 24 hours of incubation. Results. In the two plates presented in the manuscript, inhibition zone diameters of 8 mm, 9 mm, and 12 mm were reported for essential oil concentrations of 10%, 25%, and 50%, respectively. For the 100% concentration, only a qualitative classification was recorded, without a verifiable inhibition zone diameter. The absence of complete individual experimental records and a specific solvent control limited the interpretation of the findings. Conclusions. The recorded inhibition zone diameters suggest possible in vitro inhibitory activity under the experimental conditions described. However, methodological limitations prevent the observed effects from being conclusively attributed to the essential oil or its antifungal efficacy from being established. Additional studies using appropriate controls and standardized methods are required.