a survey on the role of fetal microchimerism in the maternal body

microchimerism is explained as the simultaneous presence of a few foreign cells with different genetic origins of different individuals in a person. transfer of these cells through blood transfusion, organ transplantation and particularly the mutual transfer of cells between the mother and fetus during pregnancy is possible. this article is an overview of the role of fetal cell microchimerism in maternal health and disease, especially autoimmune disorders and cancer. the original and related articles were found by search in pubmed, scopus, springer, sciencedirect with an emphasis on literature published in the period 2000 to 2015. it was concluded that microchimeric cell can play different roles in maternal body, including natural microchimerism (bearing no biological role), utility (damaged tissue repair), and pathogenesis (causing autoimmune disease and cancer). further studies and more in-depth knowledge about these cells may help explaining their new roles and using them in treatment or determining the prognosis of various diseases.