A veterinary comparative medicine officer's dream assignment

The 5 Department of Defense (DoD) overseas laboratories conduct research on a vast array of infectious diseases. This commentary focuses on the role of the Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3, Cairo, Egypt) in influenza surveillance and research, with emphasis on the role of the comparative medicine (US Army military occupational specialty 64E) veterinarian assigned there. Every year, tens of thousands of members of the US Armed Forces are vaccinated for so-called "seasonal influenza." The vaccine used is reformulated annually, based on antigenic characterization of viral isolates generated through global surveillance. NAMRU-3 contributes to this global surveillance for the Eastern Mediterranean region. The emergence of H5N1 Highly-pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and concerns over its possible role in precipitating a pandemic have accentuated the role of veterinarians with field and laboratory diagnostics experience in this system.