Until recently mammalian hosts of Leishmania (Viannia) naiffi Lainson & Shaw, 1989 have been limited to armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus, in Amazonian Brazil. Past evidence for human cutaneous leishmaniasis due to this parasite is reviewed, and a recent infection in man reported, with identification of the parasite by isoenzyme profiles and a specific monoclonal antibody. The role of some phlebotomine sandfly species as vectors is discussed.