noun
- a condition in which an organism contains two or more genetically distinct cell populations derived from different zygotes, resulting in a mixture of tissues with different genetic compositions
Usage: biology; medicine
Examples
- Chimaerism can occur naturally in humans when fraternal twins exchange cells during fetal development.
- The researcher studied chimaerism in the laboratory mouse to understand tissue rejection.
- Some cases of chimaerism result in individuals with two different blood types.
- Chimaerism is distinct from mosaicism in its origin from multiple fertilized eggs.
- The patient's chimaerism was discovered during genetic testing for an unrelated condition.