title: Yeasts as important agents of onychomycosis: in vitro activity of propolis against yeasts isolated from patients with nail infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were to determine the frequency of the yeast species obtained from patients with clinical features of onychomycosis and the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of the yeast species to propolis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was carried out at the Mycology Research Center in Iran from 2010 to 2011. Clinical diagnosis was performed by direct microscopic examination and culture. Different yeast species were identified by morphological and biochemical tests. An antifungal susceptibility test to fluconazole (FLU) and propolis by the broth microdilution method was performed on each isolate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-eight fungal isolates were obtained. The most prevalent fungi were yeasts (81, 63.2%), dermatophytes (36, 28.1%), and nondermatophyte fungi (11, 8.6%). Fingernails were more affected than toenails (65.4% vs. 19.8%, respectively). The most frequently found species was Candida albicans (38.5%), followed by Candida spp. (23.1%), C. tropicalis (10.8%), C. kefyr (6.2%), C. krusei (3.1%), Malassezia globosa (4.6%), M. slooffiae (4.6%), and M. pachydermatis (1.5%). Of all yeast isolates (65), seven showed resistance to FLU. The average MIC of propolis for FLU-susceptible isolates was 5.8 μg/mL, whereas this value was 12.25 μg/mL for FLU-resistant isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results proved that the propolis inhibits the growth of pathogenic yeasts and confirmed the efficiency of propolis as an anti-Candida and anti-Malassezia agent.
authors.affiliation: Mycology Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. khosravi@ut.ac.ir
authors.forename: Ali Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.forename: Hojjatollah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shokri
authors.forename: Donya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nikaein
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mansouri
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erfanmanesh
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chalangari
authors.forename: Martis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katalin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056705:Apitherapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004351:Drug Resistance; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D011429:Propolis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013045:Species Specificity; D015003:Yeasts / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D015725:Fluconazole; D011429:Propolis