Kwok-yung Yuen

Prof. K.Y. Yuen’s career started in 1981 as a medical doctor (MBBS, HKU) and later a surgeon (Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, UK, 1986). In order to do basic medical research, he worked as a medical microbiologist since 1988 (MRCPath, 1992, Fellow of Royal College of Pathologists, 2000, UK). Half of his time is spent in seeing patients when important or interesting medical problems related to emerging infectious diseases are identified and brought back to the bench of the laboratory. The other half of his time is spent in research and teaching during which such problems are solved and the scientific findings are directly used to benefit the patients. He received his Fellowship of American College of Physicians (FACP, 2001), Fellowship of infectious disease society of America (FIDSA, 2000), Fellowship of Hong Kong College of Physicians (FHKCP, 2002) and Fellowships of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh, 2003, London, 2004).

In the year 1997, rapid tests for avian influenza A H5N1 was developed to identify and manage patients suffering from major outbreak in Hong Kong. Two papers in Lancet was published (ref 1,2). He was invited by the government to serve in the Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene, Environment and Food Bureau and the Expert Working Group on Avian Influenza, Dept of Health. The introduction of monthly rest day in the market and the immunisation of farm chickens has basically controlled the local problem of bird flu. He was then appointed as Justice of the Peace (JP) in July 2002.

In the year 2003, under his leadership as the head of the department of microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, their research team has discovered the agent causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong. This novel coronavirus is now recognised by World Health Organisation as the primary causes of SARS. The virology and the clinical disease caused by this coronavirus was published in Lancet (ref. 3,4,5). Their team has come third in the world to finish the complete genome sequencing of this novel coronavirus. They have also devised the RT-PCR test for rapid diagnosis and an immunofluorescent antibody test for laboratory confirmation of SARS. This was followed by many papers on management and control of SARS (ref. 6 to 20). He is the co-principle investigator of the 2 Lancet papers on the identification of a novel coronavirus in SARS patients and the clinical progression of SARS in relation to the viral load. In 2004, he is given the Silver Bauhinia Star Award for his contributions on the control of emerging infectious diseases. In the year 2004, he again leads his team in the discovery of another novel coronavirus HKU1 which is associated with community-acquired pneumonia. The complete genome sequence is published in the Journal of Virology.

A serious dimorphic fungal infection due to Penicillium marneffei emerges amongst 10% of AIDS patients in Southern China and East Asia. The first serological test for rapid diagnosis was reported in Lancet in 1994 (ref. 21). The first gene of this fungus was patented in 1999 (US Patent No. 5,973,131) and published in Infection and immunity (ref. 22) and extensively evaluated for its clinical diagnostic utility and the potential as a vaccine target. The findings are extended to tackle the problem of aspergillosis, the most important cause of death in transplant patients. At the moment a genome project of this fungus is undertaken in collaboration with Professor Yang Huanming of the Beijing Genomics Institute. This will help to identify novel molecular targets for the diagnosis, vaccine and antifungal therapy. China is expected to have 10 million HIV patients by 2010. In view of the importance of spore forming pathogenic fungus being a likely candidate to be used as biological weapon, the plasmids and recombinant clones of Penicillium marneffei and Aspergillus fumigatus were sent to Dr. Xiaoyan Che of the First Military Medical University in the Zhujiang Hospital of Guangzhou for the production of specific monoclonal antibodies used for the rapid detection of antigens.

Other novel bacteria, antimicrobial resistance and clinical syndrome are discovered . Laribacter hongkongensis is a new genus causing bacteraemia and diarrhea.(ref.28,29). Streptococcus sinensis is found to cause infective endocarditis. The first case of vancomycin hetero-resistance in Hong Kong is found to be inducible by salt and aztreonam(ref. 23). The role of BK virus in haemorrhagic cystitis in bone marrow transplant recipients was demonstrated (ref. 25). Novel clinical syndrome such as acupuncture mycobacteriosis are firstly reported (ref.27). The most important cause of death after platelet transfusion in developed countries are due to bacteria. In collaboration with the haematologist, he has delineated and solved this problem by surveillance with batch culturing. This method of surveillance is still routinely used by the Hong Kong Red Cross Transfusion Service today.(Ref. 24) Since the institution of this surveillance programme, there has been no further cases of platelet transfusion bacteraemia.

Over 270 papers were published which are visible in the PubMed. A selection of 29 papers (refer to my curriculum vitae) chosen from a total of over 270 journal articles mostly with impact factors. Each of them are linked to further publications in full list. Most of his publications are authored as either first, corresponding or senior (last) authors. All these publications have been peer reviewed. His area of interest is focused on emerging infectious disease of regional importance. He has been the leader in the infectious disease training of both clinical microbiologists and physicians for the last 15 years. At present his is the academic director of the Postgraduate diploma course of infectious disease (HKU), which is the only structured teaching course for infectious disease in Hong Kong.