Effect of Ten Essential Oils in Vapor Phase on Airborne Fungal Isolates from Sawdust of Evaporative Air Coolers

Evaporative air cooler (EAC) is a natural cooling principle that is widely used in warm/dry climates. Airborne fungi contaminate the sawdust that are used in EAC and several techniques are followed to control their growth. This study aimed to evaluate in vitro antifungal effect of oil vapors of Hyacinthus sp., Cymbopogon citratus, Myrtus communis, Eucalyptus sp.,Laurus noblis, Rosemary officinalis, Cinnamon sp., Pistacia lentiscus, Thymus vulgaris and Syzygium aromaticum. The reverse Petri plate (fumigation) method was followed and the effective concentrations of oils in relation to air space above the culture medium were reported. The tested isolates named Pithomyces sp., Rhizopus sp., Stachybotrys sp., Trichoderma sp.,Actinomucor sp., Drechslera sp. and Phoma sp. The oil vapor of C. citratus, Eucalptus sp. and Cinamon sp.displayed strong antifungal activity with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 0.5 µL for the susceptible isolates. It is worth mentioning that M.communis and Cinnamons sp. oil vapors clearly influenced spore’s formation of examined isolates. © 2024 Friends
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