Thirty two monkeys were captured and adapted to laboratory conditions captives isolated. They were submitted to multiple xenodiagnosis which were negative. Twelve were infected intraperitonealfy with different strains of T. cruzi (1.10(5) to 5.10(6)). Twenty were the control group. Between on to six years both the control group and the infected monkeys, were submitted to xenodiagnosis, serological testing clinical examination and eletrocardigoraphy. The clinical examination and the eletrocardiogram were always normal. The monkey were autopsied and histological examination detected in the infected group four monkeys with evidence of disease: one with parasites in the tissue and three with chronic myocarditis. Parasitaemia was in 66.66% of the monkeys in the acute phase and the sorology was positive in 91.66% in the chronic phase. The authors concluded that Cebus monkeys were not susceptible to the development of the disease but they could be utilized to maintain of such strains and studies of sorological research in long terms infections.
Primate model (Cebus apella; Chagas 'disease; Eletrocardiogram