Abstract
Drug resistance of filamentous fungi to the commonly used antifungal agents is a major concern in medicine. Therefore, an effective approach to treat several opportunistic fungal infections is the need of the hour. Mentha piperita is used in home remedies to treat different disorders. Isolates of fungi were taken from hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and identified using molecular tools. Amphotericin B, Voriconazole, and Micafungin were applied to screen the resistance of these isolates using both disc and broth microdilution techniques. An aqueous extract of Mentha piperita was utilized to synthesize AuNPs and the nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, EDAX, and XRD. The AuNPs were tested for antifungal activity against the nosocomial fungal pathogens and the activity of extracellular enzymes of such pathogens were analyzed after treatment with AuNPs. We conclude that AuNPs synthesized using Mentha piperita do not possess especially effective antifungal properties against multi-drug resistant Aspergillus species. Five out of eighteen isolates were inhibited by AuNPs. When inhibition was observed, significant alterations in the activity profile of extracellular enzymes of the nosocomial fungi were observed.
Highlights
Aspergillus is an omnipresent, filamentous, mycotoxigenic fungus classified into a group of pathogens termed environmental opportunistic pathogens (EOPs) [1]
Eighteen members of Aspergillus spp., such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus terreus were identified in total
The other isolate termed Aspergillus terreus 8 was identified by mat morphology and microscopic observations
Summary
Aspergillus is an omnipresent, filamentous, mycotoxigenic fungus classified into a group of pathogens termed environmental opportunistic pathogens (EOPs) [1]. It is notably recognized for causing nosocomial invasive aspergillosis, a rigorous health hazard among immune-compromised patients [2,3]. Lower respiratory infections result in several deaths and pose a serious concern in countries with developing economies [5]. Invasive aspergillosis is a lower respiratory infection primarily of nosocomial origin [6,7]. Members of Aspergillus spp., such as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus terreus are established pathogens isolated in patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis [8]. Recent studies propose using metallic nanoparticles for the management of other lower respiratory infections like COVID-19 [9]
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