Berberis hartwegii Benth., Berberidaceae, Hamelia patens Jacq., Rubiaceae, Dendropanax arboreus (L.) Decne & Planch., Araliaceae, Erythrina herbacea L., Fabaceae, and Zanthoxylum caribaeum Lam., Rutaceae, acetone extracts were selected on the basis of their use in traditional Mexican medicine to treat scabies or skin diseases. Anti-dermatophyte activity in vitro was evaluated using the agar dilution assay, and the therapeutic efficacy of B. hartwegii and Z. caribaeum were tested against experimental tinea pedis. The infected animals were treated intragastrically daily for seven days with 2.5 and 5 mg/kg of acetone extracts. The acetone extract of H. patens exhibited 100% growth inhibition against T. mentagrophytes and E. floccosum at 100.0 and 50.0 µg/ml, respectively, and B. hartwegiiinhibited growth of M. canis and T. mentagrophytes at 100.0 µg/ml. Effective treatments with 2.5 mg/kg of Z. caribaeum and B. hartwegii extract were comparable with 1 mg/kg of clotrimazole in mice. Liver profile tests and histological analyses did not exhibit any signs of toxicity and the Ames test indicated that both extracts were safe when evaluated in strains TA98, TA100 and TA102. Our results suggest the potential for the future development of new antifungal drugs from B. hartwegii or Z. caribaeum.

ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that affects a considerable portion of the population and type 2 diabetes represents a serious current public health problem in Mexico. Diabetic foot is a severe consequence of diabetes for its prevalence, the frequency of resulting infections, and the high social and economic costs. In this study we examined 382 isolated families of infections in 284 patients to determine their identity by biochemical tests and their drug resistance profile. Of the 382 isolates, 186 samples (48.61%) were positive Gram bacteria; 182 samples (47.6 %) were negative Gram bacteria; and 14 (3.6 %) were Candida sp. In 158 of the 284 samples (55.6%) only one type of bacteria was identified; in 113 samples (39.7 %) a mixed culture was found, with 7 samples containing both bacteria and yeast and 13 samples resulting negative. The most prevalent pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In S. aureus isolates, 63.9 % was resistant to MRSA; 4.1 % was resistant to vancomicyn; and 18.6.% was resistant to imepenem. P. aeruginosa was the most prevalent Gram negative isolated and also the one with the most drug resistance. Drug-resistance analysis showed that the majority of S. aureus were MRSA and in P. aeruginosa, families resistant to all tested antimicrobials prevailed.

RESUMEN La diabetes mellitus (DM) es una enfermedad crónica que afecta a un porcentaje considerable de la población, y la diabetes tipo II constituye un gran problema de salud pública en México actualmente. El pie diabético es una secuela grave de la diabetes por su prevalencia, la frecuencia con que se presentan infecciones y por los enormes costos económicos y sociales. En este estudio se examinaron 382 cepas aisladas de infecciones a partir de 284 pacientes con pie diabético, para determinar su identidad mediante pruebas bioquímicas y perfil de fármaco-resistencia. De las 382 cepas, 186 (48.6 %) fueron bacterias Gram positivas, 182 (47.6 %) bacterias Gram negativas y 14 (3.6%) Candida sp. En 158 de las 284 muestras (55.6%), se obtuvo solo un tipo de bacteria; en 113 muestras (39.7 %) se obtuvo un cultivo mixto, y dentro de estas, siete tenían crecimiento de bacteria y levadura y 13 muestras resultaron negativas. Los patógenos más prevalentes fueron Staphylococcus aureus y Pseudomonas aeruginosa. El 63.9 % de los aislados de S. aureus resultó resistente a la meticilina (MRSA), 44.1 % resistentes a la vancomicina y un 18.6 % resistentes al imipenem. P. aeruginosa fue el Gram negativo aislado con mayor frecuencia, mostrando multifármaco-resistencia. Los perfiles de fármaco-resistencia mostraron que la mayoría de S. aureus fue MRSA y en los aislados de P. aeruginosa prevalecieron las cepas resistentes a todos los antibióticos probados.