In this work the antifungal activity and chemical composition of the Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) essential oil against Candida spp. were evaluated. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation of aerial parts, and analyzed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This oil was tested against fourteen isolates of Candida sp. (ten C. albicans and four no-albicans species) by the microdillution broth assay (CLSI-M27A2). Chromatography analyses of the essential oil showed compounds, as camphor, verbenone and 1,8-cineole as major constituents. MIC and MFC values for C. albicans standard strains were 1.25 - 2.5 µL mL-1 and 2.5 - 5.0 µL mL-1, respectively. MIC and MFC for the non-albicans species were 1.25 - 5.0 µL mL-1 and 2.5 - 10.0 µL mL-1, respectively. C. albicans isolates obtained from animals exhibited MIC and MFC values of 2.5 - > 10.0 µL mL-1 and 5.0 - > 10.0 µL mL-1, respectively. According to the results, the essential oil of rosemary presented fungicidal and fungistatic activities against Candida spp.
rosemary; essential oil; Candida spp; animals
