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JAC Advance Access published online on March 12, 2008
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, doi:10.1093/jac/dkn107
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Original research

In vitro activity of conventional antifungal drugs and natural essences against the yeast-like alga Prototheca

Anna Maria Tortorano1,*, Anna Prigitano1, Giovanna Dho1, Renata Piccinini2, Valentina Daprà2 and Maria Anna Viviani1

1 Dipartimento Sanità Pubblica—Microbiologia—Virologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano, Italy 2 Dipartimento Patologia Animale, Igiene Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133 Milano, Italy

Received 13 November 2007; returned 29 December 2007; revised 8 February 2008; accepted 20 February 2008

* Corresponding author. Tel: +39-02-503-15145; Fax: +39-02-503-15146; E-mail: annamaria.tortorano{at}unimi.it

Background: Two outbreaks of mastitis due to the yeast-like alga Prototheca zopfii recently occurred in dairy herds in Lombardia (Italy) involving 180 and 150 lactating cows, respectively.

Objectives: To determine the in vitro susceptibility of Prototheca isolates to conventional antifungal agents and to essential oils.

Methods: Twenty P. zopfii isolated from milk during these outbreaks, six P. zopfii isolated from fresh water and two Prototheca sp. reference strains were submitted to antifungal susceptibility testing by broth microdilution assay following the CLSI guidelines for yeasts.

Results: The tested isolates were shown to be resistant to fluconazole and caspofungin. A wide range of voriconazole MICs was observed. In contrast, amphotericin B, itraconazole and posaconazole appeared active with MICs ≤ 1 mg/L. Bergamot and tea tree oils seemed to exert an interesting activity against this yeast-like alga.

Conclusions: Difficulties in treating animals with conventional drugs and the potent in vitro activity of essential oils demonstrated here raise the interest in further investigations on the therapeutic use of these non-conventional natural products.

Key Words: bovine mastitis , tea tree oil , bergamot oil


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