Fetal microchimerism in Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a quantitative approach.

Objective: Fetal microchimerism (MCH) has been implicated in the etiology of autoimmune diseases such as autoimmune thyroiditis. The goal of the study was to reliably estimate the number of fetal engrafted cells and to further investigate factors influencing the development of MCH.

Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR amplification using Y-chromosome specific (DYS14) and autosomal (beta-globin) loci was performed on thyroid gland specimens.