Fungal infections caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Aspergillus fumigatus , and Malassezia pachydermatis are among the major contributors to multisystemic health problems such as dermatitis, otitis, and respiratory disorders among humans and animals. This study was conducted to determine the in vitro antifungal activity of Terminalia catappa leaf crude aqueous and ethanolic extracts against these fungal pathogens by measuring the zone of inhibition (ZI) using the agar well diffusion technique. Qualitative phytochemical screening tests were also performed to determine bioactive compounds present in the plant extract. Results show that the plant’s crude aqueous (CAE) and ethanolic extracts (CEE) were found to be effective against all test fungi. M. pachydermatis showed susceptibility towards CAE and CEE from T1 (100%), T2 (75%), T3 (50%) and T4 (25%), with the highest mean ZI of 18.33mm and 13.33, respectively. On the other hand, T. mentagrophytes was inhibited by CAE and CEE at T1 (100%), T2 (75%) and T3 (50%) with the highest mean ZI of 9.67mm and 10.33mm, respectively. At the same time, it was observed that A. fumigatus had reactive sensitivity towards CAE and CEE at T1 (100%) and T2 (75%), with the highest mean ZI of 9.33mm and 10.33mm, respectively. Moreover, phytochemical tests showed that the plant’s leaf crude extracts contain alkaloids, saponins, and tannins, which could potentially inhibit fungal growth.

Material and methods Collection of wormwood leavesThe plants were collected from Barangay Gabas, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines during the growth stage between in April and May and were identified by a botanist, Dr. Beatriz S. Belonias of the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Visayas State University. The identification of plants was based on morphological keys as formerly described by previous studies [6,7]. The dirt and debris from the leaves were washed with running tap water. After washing, the leaves were air-dried at room temperature for 3 days [8]. Dried leaves were chopped finely into manageable pieces, ground finely, and airdried again at room temperature for 7 days to remove the remaining moisture content of the leaves [9]. Extraction of bioactive compoundsGround dried leaves were completely submerged with ethanol for infusion for 48 h. After infusion, the preparation was filtered using a funnel topped with filter paper. The filtrate was placed in a beaker and the plant leaf residue was discarded. The filtrate was concentrated in a rotary evaporator at 40 °C and recovered 1/3 of its original volume. The recovered concentrated extract of wormwood