The antimicrobial activity of Bolivian propolis was assessed for the first time on a panel of bacteria and two endemic parasitic protozoa. Ten samples of Bolivian propolis and their main constituents were tested using the micro-broth dilution method against 11 bacterial pathogenic strains as well as against promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis and L. braziliensis using the XTT-based colorimetric method. The methanolic extracts showed antibacterial effect ranging from inactive (MICs >1000 μg ml(-1) ) to low (MICs 250-1000 μg ml(-1) ), moderate (62∙5-125 μg ml(-1) ) and high antibacterial activity (MIC 31.2 μg ml(-1) ), according to the collection place and chemical composition. The most active samples towards Leishmania species were from Cochabamba and Tarija, with IC50 values of 12∙1 and 7∙8, 8∙0 and 10∙9 μg ml(-1) against L. amazonensis and L. brasiliensis, respectively. The results show that the best antibacterial and antiprotozoal effect was observed for some phenolic rich propolis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.