The head of work Jackson Kambale Kikandau of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN) defended Thursday, in the Mgr Luc Gillon promotions room, a doctoral thesis entitled “Evaluation of nutritional and biochemical toxic markers involved in the pathogenesis of Konzo”.

This dissertation aims to determine some biomarkers involved in Konzo pathology in order to contribute to its understanding.

According to research conducted by the applicant in the territory of Kahemba, in the province of Kwango, a monotonous diet based on poorly detoxified cassava, in the absence of sulfur amino acids, exposes people to the occurrence of Konzo due to insufficient enzymatic detoxification of cyanide.

Improperly processed cassava in food insecure conditions also produces cyanide in the human body, he said.

The results of this research affirm the need to eliminate cyanogenic compounds from cassava in order to improve detoxification before its consumption.

Konzo is a toxico-nutritional disease associated with the consumption of poorly detoxified bitter cassava products.

It affects children from three years old, women of childbearing age, while the elucidation of its pathophysiology is incomplete due to the lack of reliable biomarkers.

This thesis earned its author the degree of Doctor of Science, awarded to him on behalf of the Rector of UNIKIN, by the Secretary General in charge of research, Professor Antoine Tshimpi.

Professors Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi, Georges Mvumbi Lelo and Désiré Tshala Katumba were respectively the supervisor and co-supervisors of this thesis.