ABSTRACT
Globally, fungal diseases are a leading source of morbidity and mortality. Both the quantity of microbiological strains resistant to multiple drugs and the emergence of strains with decreased antibiotic susceptibility are constantly rising. The indiscriminate use of immunosuppressive drugs and broad-spectrum antibiotics has been blamed for this rise. This study sought to determine whether Phyllanthus niruri leaf extract, both ethanolic and aqueous, has antifungal properties against particular phytopathogens. Three fungi were isolated from tiger nut obtained from different locations. Antifungal activities of Phyllanthus niruri, aqueous and ethanolic extract individually were performed using the agar well diffusion method at different concentrations (25%, 50% and 100%) and an antifungal agent Ketoconazole was used as control. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus-OR250427 and Candida sp were isolated from the tiger nut. From the results, the diameter of the zones of inhibition for the aqueous extract ranged from 3.33±0.27mm (Aspergillus niger and Candida sp, 25%) to 16.67±1.51mm (Aspergillus flavus-OR250427, 100%). This was different from the controls (9.33±1.19mm, Aspergillus niger, 19.33±0.72mm, Aspergillus flavusOR250427 and 12.67±1.44mm, Candida sp). For the ethanolic extract, the zone of inhibition ranged from 3.33±0.27mm (A. niger, 25%) to 18.00±0.82mm (A. niger, 100%). This was also different from the controls (10.67±1.36, A. niger, 13.33±0.72, A. flavus-OR250427. and 18.00±0.94, C. sp). The results of this study reveal that Phyllanthus niger ethanolic and aqueous leaves extract showed significant inhibition of the fungi. Further studies should however be conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of these natural fungicides in vivo.
