Large hepatic mitochondrial DNA deletions associated with L-lactic acidosis and highly active antiretroviral therapy

Fatal L-lactic acidosis occurred in an AIDS patient during stavudine-containing highly active antiretroviral therapy. L-Lactic acidosis was attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction, and was associated with large deletions (49-83% of the mitochondrial genome) of most of the hepatic mitochondrial DNA, including deletions in genes for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced form) dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase and adenosine triphosphatase.