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Comment by superamit | Hacker News Reader

Yep, perpetuates for life. It's called Chimerism.

I'd be interested (obviously) in finding out what other implications this might have for me long term besides enabling me to life a life of crime. ;-)

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I was gonna say, walking around with someone else's blood sounds like it'd make for an entertaining crime drama episode.

(SPOILER) this is the twist in a novel I've read:http://tinyurl.com/6r6hkhn (edit: tinyURL'd so the link text doesn't give tell you what the book is if you don't want to know).

CSI: LA did an episode about it in its earlier seasons. (As in, back when it was good.)

This might be the one: http://www.csiguide.com/episodedetail.aspx?csi=157.

Not CSI: LA but CSI, the one set in Las Vegas.

Yeah, I hit the A instead of the V, there. :)

While not a "crime drama", Chimerism is also the main diagnosis in an episode of House: http://house.wikia.com/wiki/Cane_%26_Able

Also in an episode of CSI (http://www.csifiles.com/reviews/miami/bloodlines.shtml)

There was an actual real-life crime episode involving that, look up Andrei Chikatilo, the police and a real trouble catching him because of mismatching blood types.

I'd give you a wikipedia link, but apparently I can't use google cache.

Actually, English wikipedia does not seem to mention that, and the Russian one says that not only Chikatilo did not have mismatched AB types of blood and sperm, but also that the condition has been proven to be genetically impossible (citing a broken link as a source for this statement, though).

Though not quite a crime drama, something like this has already happened. A woman trying to get a kidney transplant was informed that two of her sons couldn't be hers. Complications ensued. http://www.katewerk.com/chimera.html

As a Forensic DNA Scientist, I can confirm this is indeed an issue.

I watched Gattaca again this weekend. This sure seems like a simpler option (assuming it affects the urine) than everything the main characters had to go through (collecting and storing blood and urine samples, making finger pouches for blood prick tests, etc.)!

Im sure CSI Miami have it covered.

Original CSI http://www.csifiles.com/reviews/miami/bloodlines.shtml

also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_chimerism_in_fiction

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