NAMRU-3: forty-six years of infectious disease research.

The United States Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3), Cairo, Egypt, has been in continuous operation studying infectious diseases of military importance since its establishment in 1946, even during the lapse in diplomatic relations from 1967-1974. Other overseas research laboratories of the Naval Medical Research and Development Command include NAMRU-2 in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a detachment in Manila, and the Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment Lima, Peru. Comparable U.S. Army overseas research laboratories are located in Thailand, Brazil, Korea, and Kenya. Department of Defense overseas laboratories conduct research on infectious diseases endemic to their respective geographic regions which could adversely impact on the health of deployed military forces. This article describes the history of one such laboratory, NAMRU-3, and the important infectious disease research it conducts to enhance the health of military forces deployed to its strategic geographical region of the world.