Abstract:
In recent years, the lipophilic yeast Malassezia pachydermatis is considered to be the most significant opportunistic
pathogen associated with dermatitis and otitis externa in veterinary medicine. At the same time, various findings have
shown the capacity of clinical isolates to acquire azole-resistance, therefore the development of new alternative
treatment strategies are highly demanded. In the last decade, plant-based antimicrobials have known a resurrection, and
special attention was given to essential oils (EOs). EOs are complex mixtures of small lipophilic molecules, of which
one up to three compounds constitute the main phytochemical markers. EOs arose as candidates for the alternative
treatment of Malassezia-related diseases. This review highlights the antifungal potential of EOs and their bioactive
compounds against M. pachydermatis based on literature reports (in vitro and in vivo retrospective studies). A search
was conducted using three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar), and all relevant articles from the
period 2015-2021 were extracted. The findings showed most of EOs had significant antifungal activity against M.
pachydermatis, especially through bioactive compounds such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, on their own or by
synergism with conventional antifungal drugs or other compounds, such as fluconazole and Tween 80. EOs with
promising antifungal activity against M. pachydermatis include winter savory, lemongrass, oregano, cinnamon and
oregano. The review emphasizes the importance of Eos as novel antifungal agents. EOs could be considered as an
alternative to conventional antifungals, as they act concurrently towards different fungal targets due to their
multicomponent nature.
