Summary
Three species of triatomid bugs, Panstrongylus geniculatus (Latreille, 1811), Rhodnius pictipes Stal, 1859 and Eratyrus mucronatus were captured in forest (Reserva Ducke) near Manaus, State of: Amazonas, Brazil. P. geniculatus and E. mucronatus were found to be infected with flagellates. Intestinal contents of the first species were inoculated into a squirrel-monkey (Saimiri sciureus) and a dog. The former died nine days later without evidence of infection, but the dog's blood showed trypanosomes between the 9 th and the 15 th day, when the animal died. Its blood was inoculated in a Cavia aperea which also became infected. By the aspect and localization of the flagellates in the bugs their infectivity to mammals and the morphology in the blood and heart smears of inoculated animals, we identified the parasites of P. geniculatus as Trypanosoma cruzi.