EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF ARTEMISIA ALCOHOLIC EXTRACT AGAINST SOME PATHOGENIC FUNGI ISOLATED FROM CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS IN KIRKUK CITY

        Coronavirus 2019 resulted  by SARS‐CoV‐2, which arose in Wuhan City ,China and was become as pandemic in the world. This disease  lead to acute respiratory infection with significant rate of intensive care unit (ICU) entry. The infection of bacterial and fungal are pneumonia viral infection complication   result to  the intense injury of pulmonary tissues, the storm of cytokine and immune‐disability result from a virus infection that induced severe respiratory syndrome. A. absinthium consider of the most noticeable types  of the  Artemisia genus in the worldwide. In European popular medication, this plant utilized  for thousands years for several various diseases. This study aimed attempt to find the medical activities of Artemisia extract to inhibit the growing fungi that are taken from covid-19 patients. The results of present study was revealed the  antifungals effects appeared toward C.albicans where  Nystatin recorded MIC  250 µg/ml and MFC 500µg/ml  higher than Amphotericin-B and Clotrimazole .The results of rate diameter colony growth for Aspergillus flavus and A.fumigatus ,there were the diameter rate in using  nystatin ranged (30-6 mm) and (44.7-6 mm) for each of these fungi respectively at the concentrations (5-2560 µg/ml) , this appeared the nystatin higher effect than Amphotericin-B and Clotrimazole. Regarding the results of inhibitory for Artemisia plant on molds and yeast.The results were indicated significant differences in diameter rate of the colony growth .Where there were lower diameter growth for 200 mg/ml for each A.fumigatus(20 ±0.849 )mm , A.niger (18±1.061)mm ,A. flavus (17±1.131)mm.  Besides, the concentration 140 mg/ml appeared higher diameter of growth for each A.fumigatus (35±0.849)mm , A.niger (40±4.17)mm ,A. flavus (44±39.3)mm (P<0.05) . In conclusion The prevalence of C.albicans in the infected patients with COVID-19 was higher than the molds. Also, the high concentrations of the alcoholic extract of Artemisia gave the highest inhibition zone for yeasts and the lowest growth zones for the studied molds.  This indicated the efficiency extract as antifungals