Antifungal activities of pelargonic and capric acid on Microsporum gypseum

The inhibitory effects of pelargonic and capric acid on Microsporum gypseum were examined. Solid and liquid Sabouraud glucose media containing different concentrations of pelargonic and capric acid were separately prepared and inoculated with the suspension of mycelium and spores of M gypseum and incubated at 25 degreesC for I month. The culture media were examined periodically for fungal growth and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each fatty acid was determined. The MIC for capric acid was 0.02 mg ml(-1) and for pelargonic acid 0.04 mg ml(-1) on solid media and 0.075 mg ml(-1) for capric acid and 0.05 mg ml(-1) for pelargonic acid in the liquid media.