Philip T. Amuso, PhD, HCLD (ABB)
Assistant Bureau Chief, Research Director and Laboratory Director Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Laboratories
Laboratory Director and Co-Principal Investigator, USF Center for Biological Defense
Biographical Sketch | Areas of Expertise | Current Research | Publications
PhD, Tropical Public Health and Communicable Disease, University of South Florida
MS, Microbiology, University of South Florida
BA, Biology, University of South Florida
Biographical Sketch
Areas of Expertise
Current Research
U.S. Dept. of Defense, RDECOM (DAAD13-01C-0043), Co-Principal Investigator, December 16, 2010 - December 15, 2011. Enhancement of Public Health Preparedness Against Bioterrorism: Strategic Approaches to Rapid Surveillance, Detection, and Protection Against Potential Biological Pathogens.
U.S. Dept. of Defense, RDECOM( DAAD13-01C-0043), Co-Principal Investigator, October 31, 2009 – October 30, 2010. Enhancement of Public Health Preparedness Against Bioterrorism: Strategic Approaches to Rapid Surveillance, Detection, and Protection Against Potential Biological Pathogens.
U.S. Dept. of Defense, RDECOM (DAAD13-01C-0043); Co-PI, October 31, 2008 – October 30, 2009. Enhancement of Public Health Preparedness against Bioterrorism: Strategic Approaches to Rapid Surveillance, Detection, and Protection against Potential Biological Pathogens.
U.S. Dept. of Defense, RDECOM (DAAD13-01C-0043); Co-PI, September 1, 2007 – October 30, 2008. Enhancement of Public Health Preparedness against Bioterrorism: Strategic Approaches to Rapid Surveillance, Detection, and Protection against Potential Biological Pathogens.
Fractal Systems, Inc., (#0600000435); Co-PI, October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009. Direct Toxin-Specific Biowarfare Detector.
Fractal Systems, Inc., (#0600000435); Co-PI, October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2007. Direct Toxin-Specific Biowarfare Detector.
U.S. Dept. of Defense, RDECOM (DAAD13-01C-0043); Co-PI, September 1, 2006 – October 30, 2007. Enhancement of Public Health Preparedness against Bioterrorism: Strategic Approaches to Rapid Surveillance, Detection, and Protection against Potential Biological Pathogens.
Publications
King D, Luna V, Cannons A, Amuso P. Procurement of Spore-free Bacillus anthracis for Molecular Typing Outside of BSL3 Environment. J Appl Microbiol 2010 May; 108(5):1817-27
Tatavarthy A, Peak K, Veguilla W, Cutting T, Harwood V, Roberts J, Amuso P, Cattani J, Cannons A. An Accelerated Method of Isolation of Salmonella enteric Serotype Typhimurium from Artificially Contaminated Foods, Using a Short Preenrichment, Immunomagnetic Separation, and Xylose-Lysine-Desoxycholate Agar (61X Method). J Food Prot 2009; 72: 583-590
Veguilla W, Peak K, Roberts J, Luna V, Davis C, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Two-year study evaluating the potential loss of methicillin resistance in a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus culture collection. J Clin Microbiol 2008; 46: 3494-3497
Luna V, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. The Inactivation and Removal of Airborne Bacillus atrophaeus Endospores from Air Circulation Systems Using UVC and HEPA Filters. J Appl Microbiol 2008; 104: 489-498
Davis C, Wingfield D, Peak K, Veguilla W, Amuso P, Cannons A, Cattani J. Molecular Characterization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strains Associated with Foodborne Illness in Florida. J Food Prot 2007; 70: 2396-2401
Peak KK, Duncan KE, Veguilla W, Luna VA, King DS, Heller L, Heberlein-Larson L, Reeves F, Cannons AC, Amuso P, Cattani J. Bacillus acidiceler sp. nov., isolated from a forensic specimen, containing Bacillus anthracis pX02 genes. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol Sept 2007; 57(7): 2031-2036
Luna V, King D, Gulledge J, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Susceptibility of Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pseudomycoides and Bacillus thuringiensis 24 Antimicrobials Using Sensititre® Automated Microbroth Dilution and Etest® Agar Gradient Diffusion Methods. J Antimicrob Chemother 2007; 60: 555-567
Luna VA, King DS, Peak KK, Reeves F, Heberlein-Larson L, Veguilla W, Heller L, Duncan KE, Cannons AC, Amuso PA, Cattani, J. Bacillus anthracis Virulent Plasmid PX02 Genes Found in Large Plasmids of Two Other Bacillus Species. J Clin Microbiol July 2006; 44(7): 2367-2377
Roberts J, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Virtual Digest of Secondary Enzymes for Use in Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis of S. aureus. J Microbiol Methods 2006; 66(2): 362-368
Tatavarthy A, Peak KK, Veguilla W, Reeves F, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Comparison of Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiles and Molecular Typing Patterns of Clinical and Environmental Salmonella enterica Serotype Newport. J Food Prot 2006; 69: 749-756
Roberts J, Peak K, Veguilla W, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Epidemic Clone USA300 Demonstrated in Isolates from Florida and Washington. J Clin Microbiol 2006; 44: 225-226
Luna V, Peak K, Veguilla W, Reeves F, Larson L, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. Use of Two Selective Media and Broth Motility Test Can Aid in Identification or Exclusion of Bacillus anthracis. J Clin Microbiol 2005; 43: 4336-4341
Davis C, Heller L , Amuso P. et al. Real-Time PCR Detection of the Thermostable Direct Hemolysin and Thermolabile Hemolysin Genes in a Vibrio parahaemolyticus Cultured from Mussels and Mussel Homogenate Associated with a Foodborne Outbreak. J Food Protection 2004; 67: 1005-1008
King D, Amuso P, et al. Performance Assessment of Three Commercial Assays for Direct Detection of Bacillus anthracis Spores. J of Clin Microbiology 2003; 41: 3454-3455
Luna V, King D, Davis C, Amuso P, et al. A novel sample preparation method for the safe and rapid detection of Bacillus anthracis spores in environmental powders and nasal swabs. J Clin Microbiol 2003; 41: 1252-1255
Heller L, Amuso P, Cattani J, et al. Comparison of DNA isolation methods from food samples for detection of shiga toxin producing E. coli by real time PCR. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2003; 69: 1844-1846
Doctoral Dissertation: Feasibility Study of a Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Detection of Herpes Simplex virus, Haemophilus ducreyi, and Treponema pallidum in a High Risk Population. 2000.
Abstracts
Tatavarthy A, Peak K, Veguilla W, Sanderson R, Scilabro G, Amuso P, Cannons A. (2010) Molecular Typing and Antibiotic Resistance Analysis of Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhi. Poster presentation at the American Society of Microbiology, San Diego, CA, Annual General Meeting.
King D, Luna V, Cannons A, Amuso P. (2009) Growth of Bacillus anthracis Under Asporogenous Conditions for Removal Outside of the BSL-3 Environment. American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, Annual General Meeting.
Peak K, Duncan K, Veguilla W, Luna V, King D, McCarthy P, Cannons A, Amuso P. (2009) Putative Signature Sequences Used to Clarify the Phylogenetic Relationships among Strains Closely Related to Proposed Bacillus similicurculans sp. nov. American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, Annual General Meeting.
Roberts J, Peak K, Veguilla W, Amuso P, Cannons A. (2009) Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Epidemic Clone USA100 Isolates Identified Among Strains Collected for Community-associated Staphylococcus Studies. American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, Annual General Meeting.
Tatavarthy A, Amuso P, Cannons A. (2009) Real-time PCR detection of Salmonella species using a novel target: the outer membrane protein F (OmpF) gene. American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, Annual General Meeting.
Davis C, Koomen J, Amuso P, Cannons A, Cattani J. (2008) Identification of cold shock proteins affecting differential growth of pandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus grown at 12˚C. American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA, Annual General Meeting.
King D, Luna V, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. (2008) A Method for Growing Bacillus anthracis in a spore-free culture for use in molecular applications outside of the Bio Safety Level 3 environment. American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA, Annual General Meeting.
Peak K, Duncan K, Veguilla W, Luna V, King D, Heller L, Heberlein-Larson L, Reeves F, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. (2008) Bacillus sp. bearing B. anthracis pX02 genes is closely related to B. circulans and B. nealsonii. American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA, Annual General Meeting.
Roberts J, Tatavarthy A, Cannons A, Amuso P, Cattani J. (2008) Multilocus Sequence Typing for Characterization of Salmonella Strains Using a Unique Combination of Housekeeping and Virulence Genes. American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA, Annual General Meeting.
Tatavarthy A, Peak K, Cutting T, Veguilla W, Roberts J, Amuso P, Cattani J, Cannons A. (2008) Accelerated isolation of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium from artificially contaminated foods using a short pre-enrichment, immunomagnetic separation and Xylose media (61X method). American Society for Microbiology, Boston, MA, Annual General Meeting.
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