Karaleen Anderson; Li Szhen Teh; Mariel Hatch; Caeleb Harris; Hannah; Stephanie Pare, Utah Valley University
This study analyzes the antifungal activity of lemongrass essential oil and Amphotericin B against biofilms of Rhizopus oryzae, a species of fungi that are responsible for 80% of Mucormycosis infections. With a modified protocol for the production of biofilm (Pierce et al., 2008), this investigation focuses on the synergistic effect between lemongrass oil and Amphotericin B in an attempt to determine if the minimum inhibitory concentration of Amp B can be reduced when supplemented with the antifungal activity of Lemongrass oil. This information is vital due to the increased incidence of fungal infections and the high rate of mortality and morbidity associated with the disease. Lemongrass oil has been shown to have potent antifungal activity against a diverse range of fungi and as such is an intriguing candidate for combination therapy research. Thus, Lemongrass oil in combination with Amphotericin B could decrease the concentration of Amphotericin B needed to treat opportunistic fungal infections. This research could lead to an increase in positive patient outcomes and a decrease in the mortality and morbidity associated with Mucormycosis.