Isolation and Identification of Fungal strains from Human Foot crack and their Natural Control Measures

Cracks are caused as a result of skin that is too dry or too moist and over pressure. When the skin is too dry, it can become rough and flaky. The warm moist environment between the toes particularly under the little finger is perfect for the growth of some specialised bacteria and there is no evidence of the bacterial identification. In the present work we have made an attempt using the cheaply available CNSL (cashew nut shell liquid) natural source to evaluate its biological activity against various fungal strains isolated from human foot crack. These studies focused on identification of common pathological fungal strains responsible for causeing foot crack. The fungal strains identified were Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Pencillium chrysogenum and Chrysosporium tropicum. The CNSL had a greater efficacy rate against bacterial species. It is composed of phenolic compounds and volatile oil. These bio-active compounds showed a significant activity against fungi. Four different formulation of CNSL (25, 50, 75 and 100%) were prepared by dissolving it in DMSO (dimethyl sulphoxide). The anti-fungal activity was studied by comparing the cultures grown on the PDA (potato dextrose agar) medium Petri plates. The present study revealed that, 100% of CNSL showed greater activity similar to the standard drug clotrimazole when compared with the diluted concentrations.