Molybdenum cofactor deficiency is a rare human disease in which the absence of molybdopterin – and consequently its molybdenum complex, commonly called molybdenum cofactor – leads to accumulation of toxic levels of sulphite and neurological damage. Usually this leads to death within months of birth, due to the lack of active sulfite oxidase. Furthermore, a mutational block in molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis causes absence of enzyme activity of xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase and aldehyde oxidase.