Eating A. venata larvae (entomophagy) has led to thiamine deficiency (vitamin B1) in people who have used it as a protein source. This is because A. venata larvae have high amounts of thiaminases which break down B1. This type of B1 deficiency has been called "African (Nigerian) Seasonal Ataxia" (ASA), as A. venata larvae are available as food source for about four months within certain parts of Africa.[2][3] Connection between entomophagy and B1 deficiency was first discovered in 1992 in Western Nigeria by Bola Adamolekun.[4][3] Outbreaks, which have later on been thought to be due to B1 deficiency,[3] have been described as early as 1958[5] along with other cases from e.g. 1972.[6][7]
^Neki, Nirankar Singh (2015). "Wernicke's Encephalopathy". Journal of Pioneering Medical Sciences. 5 (3): 107–112. Retrieved March 14, 2021. Recently, two other conditions that seem to be directly related to Th deficiency have been described: African (Nigerian) seasonal ataxia and gastrointestinal beriberi.
^Adamolekun, B (1992). "A seasonal ataxic syndrome in southwestern Nigeria: an etiological hypothesis of acute thiamine deficiency". Ethn Dis. 2 (2): 185–6. PMID1467756.
