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Prof Koh Tse Hsien

MBChB, FRCPath

Head ＆ Senior Consultant

Senior Consultant & Head

Specialty: Pathology, Bacteriology

Sub-specialties: Bacteriology

Clinical Appointments

Head ＆ Senior Consultant Microbiology Singapore General Hospital

Profile

Prof Koh’s undergraduate medical training was at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He completed his specialist microbiology training at the Singapore General Hospital and the Royal London Hospital. In 2006, he did a research fellowship at the Toho University Medical School in Tokyo to study the characterization of beta-lactamases. In 2008 he did an attachment at Leiden University Medical Centre to study the molecular epidemiology of Acinetobacter spp.

His research interests are in the molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens and resistance determinants of multidrug resistant bacteria.

Education

1986-1991, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
1991, Graduated MBChB (Aberd)
Summer 1998, MSc in Clinical Microbiology (London)
April 1999, Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (London)
March 2000, Member of the Royal College of Pathologists (United Kingdom)
1 June 2000, Registered as Specialist in Pathology (Reg no. 05969B)
August 2000, Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
January 2008, Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (United Kingdom)
September 2008, Diplomate American Board of Medical Microbiology
December 2013, Doctor of Philosophy (NUS)

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

Visiting Consultant Changi General Hospital
Professor, DUKE-NUS Medical School
Member, American Society of Microbiology
Member, Australian Society for Antimicrobials
Member, Singapore Medical Association
Member, Singapore Society of Pathology (1st Secretary 2001, 2nd Secretary 2000)
Member, Society of Infectious Disease (Singapore)

Awards

Department of Clinical Research, Ministry of Health (Singapore) Grant to investigate the molecular epidemiology of multiresistant Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup 19 in Singapore. (1995) Principal Investigator
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Grant for MRCPath Part II Project to characterise the mechanism of resistance of a clinical isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems. (1998) Principal Investigator
Department of Clinical Research, Singapore General Hospital Grant to investigate carbapenemase production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (2000) Principal Investigator
Department of Clinical Research, Singapore General Hospital Grant to determine the 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence of local isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei. (2001) Principal Investigator Dr Sng Li-Hwei
Singhealth Cluster Research Fund. Identification of carbapenemases in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii (2002) Principal Investigator Dr Sng Li Hwei
Department of Clinical Research, Singapore General Hospital Grant to sequence b-lactamase genes in carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonads and inhibitor-resistant enterobacteriaceae (2002) Principal Investigator

Research Interests

Antimicrobial resistance
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia
Zoonotic infections

Publications

Koh TH, Khoo CT, Wijaya L, Leong HN, Lo YL, Lim LC, Koh TY. Global spread of New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase 1. Lancet Infect Dis. 2010 Dec;10(12):828.
Hsu LY, Koh YL, Chlebicka NL, Tan TY, Krishnan P, Lin RT, Tee N, Barkham T, Koh TH. Establishment of ST30 as the predominant clonal type among community- associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Singapore. J Clin Microbiol. 2006 Mar;44(3):1090-3.
Hsu LY, Koh TH, Tan TY, Ito T, Ma XX, Lin RT, Tan BH. Emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Singapore: a further six cases. Singapore Med J. 2006 Jan;47(1):20-6.
Chlebicki MP, Tan BH, Koh TH. Melioidosis of the spleen diagnosed by 16S rDNA amplification and sequencing. Scand J Infect Dis. 2005;37(6-7):517-20.
Hsu LY, Koh TH, Singh K, Kang ML, Kurup A, Tan BH. Dissemination of multisusceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Singapore. J Clin Microbiol. 2005 Jun;43(6):2923-5.
Hsu LY, Koh TH, Tan BH. Health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is evolving. Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Jun 15;40(12):1860-1.
Hsu LY, Tristan A, Koh TH, Bes M, Etienne J, Kurup A, Tan TT, Tan BH. Community associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Feb;11(2):341-2.
Hsu LY, Koh TH, Kurup A, Low J, Chlebicki MP, Tan BH. High incidence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care public hospital in Singapore. Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Feb 1;40(3):486-9.
Sng LH, Koh TH, Wang GC, Hsu LY, Kapi M, Hiramatsu K. Heterogeneous vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (hetero-VISA) in Singapore. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2005 Feb;25(2):177-9.
9: Koh TH, Wang GC, Sng LH. Clonal spread of IMP-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in two hospitals in Singapore. J Clin Microbiol. 2004 Nov;42(11):5378-80.
Koh TH, Kurup A, Chen J. Streptococcus iniae discitis in Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Sep;10(9):1694-6.
Hsu LY, Koh TH, Anantham D, Kurup A, Chan KP, Tan BH. Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Aug;10(8):1509-10.]
Koh TH, Wang GC, Sng LH, Koh TY. CTX-M and plasmid-mediated AmpC- producing Enterobacteriaceae Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004 Jun;10(6):1172-4.
Sng LH, Koh TH, Toney SR, Floyd M, Butler WR, Tan BH. Bacteremia caused by Gordonia bronchialis in a patient with sequestrated lung.J Clin Microbiol. 2004 Jun;42(6):2870-1.
Koh TH, Wang GC, Sng LH. IMP-1 and a novel metallo-beta-lactamase, VIM-6, in fluorescent pseudomonads isolated in Singapore. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2004 Jun;48(6):2334-6.
Koh TH, Yong Ng LS, Foon Ho JL, Sng LH, Wang GC, Tzer Pin Lin RV.Automated identification systems and Burkholderia pseudomallei. J Clin Microbiol. 2003 Apr;41(4):1809.
Koh TH, Tan AL, Lo YL, Oh H. Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii meningitis in Singapore. Med Mycol. 2002 Apr;40(2):221-3.
Koh TH, Ho S. Streptococcus bovis meningitis in a neonate with Ivemark syndrome. Scand J Infect Dis. 2002;34(1):63-4.
Koh TH, Sng LH, Babini GS, Woodford N, Livermore DM, Hall LM. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pnuemoniae in Singapore producing IMP-1beta-lactamase and lacking an outer membrane protein. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Jun;45(6):1939-40.
Koh TH, Babini GS, Woodford N, Sng LH, Hall LM, Livermore DM. Carbapenem-hydrolysing IMP-1 beta-lactamase in Klebsiella pneumoniae from Singapore. Lancet. 1999 Jun 19;353(9170):2162. No abstract available.
Koh TH, Sng LH, Ngan CC. Molecular typing of multiresistant Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup 19 in Singapore. Pathology. 1998 Nov;30(4):395-8.