[In vitro antibacterial activity of Chilean propolis against Helicobacter pylori].

Introduction: Propolis is a natural product derived from beekeeping. It has anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, immune-stimulant and antibacterial properties on grampositive and gramnegative bacteria. However, little is known regarding its activity on Helicobacter pylori.

Antibiotic resistance in environmental Escherichia coli - a simple screening method for simultaneous typing and resistance determination.

We describe a simple and standardised screening system (AREB) for surveillance of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment. The system consists of 96 well microplates containing eight sets of breakpoint amounts of 10 different antibiotics. The incubated microplates are read by a desktop scanner and the plate images are analysed by special software that automatically presents the resistance data.

Subtyping of Chilean Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains carrying the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type I.

The cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) present in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has two essential components, the ccr gene complex and the mec gene complex. Additionally, SCCmec has non-essential components called J regions which are used for MRSA subtyping. This study was performed to determine subtypes MRSA strains carrying SCCmec type I based on polymorphism of regions located downstream of the mecA gene.

Isolation of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa and susceptibility to five antimicrobial drugs in Southern chile.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes more than 50% of the world population thus, it is considered an important cause of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the isolation frequency of H. pylori in Southern Chile from patients with symptomatology compatible with gastritis or gastric ulcer and to correlate these findings with demographic parameters of infected patients and the susceptibility profiles of the isolated strains to the antimicrobial drugs used in the eradication treatments.

[Association between genotype screening results obtained by PFGE and PCR for hypervariable regions of the mecA gene in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus].

Introduction: The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a major epidemiological problem worldwide.

Methods: We determined the degree of association between the genotype screening results obtained by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 7 hypervariable DNA regions associated with the mecA gene (HVR-mecA PCR), in the epidemiological analysis of 36 MRSA strains unrelated to nosocomial outbreaks, isolated from hospitalized patients at the County Hospital of Valdivia (Chile).

Results: The strains were classified into 15 pulse types (A-O) and 5 genotypes (6, 14, 15, 16, and 17) by PFGE and HVR-mecA PCR, respectively.

[Genotypes of Staphylococcus aureus strains with methicillin resistant phenotype].

Background: Methicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are an important cause of nosocomial infections.

Aim: To determine the genotypes of MRSA strains.

Material And Methods: Fifty five strains of MRSA, isolated from patients hospitalized in Hospital Base Valdivia, were studied.