Blood transfusions of red blood cells or plasma do not change DNA. White blood cells contain DNA, but are usually removed from donated blood. Whole blood transfusions are rare and donor DNA would not survive long enough to affect recipient DNA. Bone marrow transfusions can change DNA.
Getting a standard blood transfusion cannot and will not change your DNA. Most people only receive red blood cells or blood plasma during medical procedures, and none of these blood components contain DNA material. The transfused blood must still match the recipient’s blood type, including ABO blood types. A blood test performed after a standard blood transfusion would reveal only the patient’s DNA profile.
However, this is not to say that human blood does not contain any DNA. White blood cells, which are usually removed from donated blood in a centrifuge, contain DNA. If someone were to request a whole blood transfusion, the donor’s white blood cells would enter the recipient’s bloodstream and stay there until they expire, usually within four to eight days. However, such whole blood transfers are rare, and donor DNA would not survive long enough to have an effect on recipient DNA. In theory, a blood test taken shortly after a whole blood transfusion could show a mix of coding DNA, but not strictly donor DNA.
An episode of the television series M*A*S*H dealt with a racist white soldier who specifically asked doctors not to give him blood from a black donor. In an attempt to show the patient the error of his ways, the doctors used iodine to darken his skin. When the patient awoke, he found that he had turned “black” from a blood transfusion. The doctors revealed their ploy only after lecturing the patient on the reality of blood donations. Receiving a blood transfusion from a donor of a different race would not change the genetics of the recipient.
Another television series, Law and Order, featured an episode where the prime suspect was initially cleared by a DNA blood test. The blood taken from the suspect’s arm did not match that found at the crime scene. Only after the suspect’s death did investigators find out what really happened. The suspect had a plastic tube containing another person’s blood implanted in his arm and that foreign blood was used in the original DNA test. If blood had entered the suspect’s bloodstream, the test would have revealed the DNA of the real killer. Foreign blood had to be kept separate from the killer’s bloodstream.
However, there are some transfusion procedures that can change the recipient’s DNA. Bone marrow transfusions, for example, often require the recipient’s blood and marrow to be destroyed to reduce the chances of rejection. Once the donated marrow starts producing red blood cells again, the white blood cells will most likely contain DNA from the donor, not the recipient. This is why finding a close genetic match for bone marrow donation can be so vital.
Receiving a standard transfusion of platelets, plasma, or red blood cells won’t change the recipient’s DNA at all. Receiving a whole blood transfusion might skew the results of a DNA test for a few days, but eventually the recipient’s blood cells would overwhelm those of the donor. Only a systemic process like bone marrow transfusion could actually change a recipient’s DNA profile.
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