Wilfred Angie Abia

University of Yaounde, Cameroon, Central Africa

Abstract Title: Dietary Exposure to Neurotoxic Mycotoxins in Cameroon: Implications for Brain Development and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children

Biography: Dr. Wilfred Angie Abia holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Food Safety/Mycotoxicology) from the University of Yaoundé 1, with training under the MycoRed Project at IFA-BOKU, Austria. He also holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Buea, Cameroon. His postdoctoral experience includes work at the University of Johannesburg, IFA-BOKU (MycoMarker Project), and Queen’s University Belfast (EIT FoodFortress & EU FoodSafeR Projects). He has 64 publications, has supervised 21 M.Sc. theses, and serves as Secretary General of the African Society of Mycotoxicology, CEO of AFS1HA (Agri-Food Safety and One Health Agency), and Senior Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé 1.

Research Interest: Emerging evidence suggests that dietary exposure to neurotoxic mycotoxins may pose a significant and an underrecognized threat to pediatric brain health. In Cameroon, many children suffer from brain development-related disorders, which may be impact, due to environmental risks. The study investigates how dietary mycotoxin exposure affects brain development in young Cameroonian children, highlighting risks for disorders like learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism and cognitive impairments, especially from early-life exposure. Firstly, the study synthesized current evidence demonstrating neurotoxicity of some mycotoxins. It was observed that mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and fumonisin B1 can cross the blood-brain barrier and disrupt key neurodevelopmental processes, and exert neurotoxic effects include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Secondly, agricultural commodities such as maize, groundnuts, and their processed food-products, frequently tainted with mycotoxins, and commonly used to process complementary foods for children, shall be screened for neurotoxic mycotoxins. Our previous studies show high contamination (≥90% ) of adult foods with aflatoxins and fumonisins at levels occasionally higher than their respective maximum limits, with ≥65% co-occurrences. There’s growing concern that processed children’s foods, combining plant and animal products, may also carry dangerous mycotoxin levels due to feed contamination. Thirdly, existing animal studies have link low-dose mycotoxin exposure to cognitive and behavioral issues, but human data and developmental risk assessments are lacking. This is a key area of this study, aiming to improve dietary mycotoxin monitoring and guide child health policies in Cameroon. Keywords: Dietary exposure, Children’s health, Mycotoxins, Neurodevelopment, Neurobehavioral disorders