(Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans) and proto- zoa (Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei bru- cei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania infantum). MATERIALS AND METHODS

Propolis is a resinous mixture collected from plant buds and exudates by honeybees; this substance is used as a building insulation material in beehives (Greenaway et al. 1990). Because of its wide use in folk medicine, propolis has been the subject of intense pharmacological and chemical study for almost 30 years (Bankova 2005). It has recently gained popularity as a food supplement and is used extensively in foods and beverages in various parts of the world (Peterson & Barnes 1991). Numerous studies have shown its versatility of therapeutic activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumoural, antioxidant and hepatoprotective functions (Banskota et al. 2001, Lotfy 2006). The chemical composition of propolis is very complex and depends on the local flora at the site of collection (Marcucci 1995). Propolis samples from tropical zones display a highly variable chemical composition, including terpenoids, prenylated organic acid derivatives, lignans and flavonoids (Cuesta-Rubio et al. 2007, Duran et al. 2008, Salomão et al. 2008). In Cuba, with its great botanical diversity and richness of flora, extensive chemical studies have identified three main types of propolis, based on their secondary metabolite classes. The three types of Cuban propolis are known as brown (BCP), red (RCP) and yellow (YCP) (Cuesta-Rubio et al. 2007). In addition, various medicinal properties of Cuban propolis, such as antipsoriatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic (Ledón et al. 1996) and antitumoural activities (Popolo et al. 2009), have been explored. Diverse studies of propolis have been conducted against infectious diseases, such as acute cervicitis (Quintana et al. 1996), parasitic vaginal infections (Santana et al. 1995), dental plaque (Gispert et al. 2000), facial septic injury (Quintana et al. 1997) and giardiasis (Miyares et al. 1988). In this study, we investigated the effects of 20 propolis extracts (BCP, RCP and YCP type), which were from different regions of Cuba, against bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus), fungi (Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans) and protozoa (Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania infantum).