diff --git a/python/mergeVCFInfoFields.py b/python/mergeVCFInfoFields.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a886b51f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/mergeVCFInfoFields.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env Python
+
+import sys
+
+debug = False
+
+print("Merging:")
+
+# open files for reading
+vcfInputFiles = []
+vcfOutputFile = ""
+for arg in sys.argv:
+    if( arg == "./mergeVCFInfoFields.py" ):
+        # do nothing
+        continue
+    else:
+        if ( arg.startswith("I=") ):
+            input1 = arg.strip().split("I=")[1]
+            input2 = input1.split(",")
+            for vcfInput in input2:
+                print(vcfInput)
+                vcfInputFiles.append(vcfInput)
+        elif ( arg.startswith("O=") ):
+            vcfOutputFile=open(arg.strip().split("O=")[1],'w')
+        else:
+            print("Unsupported argument: "+arg)
+            sys.exit()
+
+lines = 0
+
+# the proper (albeit slower) way to do this is to read the info fields
+# into a dict and then iterate through the keys
+
+infodict = dict()
+
+for inFile in vcfInputFiles:
+    # for each file
+    for line in open(inFile).readlines():
+        # for each line
+        if ( line.startswith("#") ):
+            # do nothing
+            continue
+        else:
+            spline = line.strip().split()
+            chrompos = spline[0]+":"+spline[1]
+            info = spline[7]
+            if ( chrompos in infodict ):
+                if ( info == "." ):
+                    # do nothing
+                    continue
+                else:
+                    curInfo = infodict[chrompos]
+                    if ( curInfo == "." or curInfo == ""):
+                        newInfo = info
+                    else:
+                        # now we need to parse the fields
+                        curinfofields = set(curInfo.split(";"))
+                        newinfofields = set(newInfo.split(";"))
+                        curinfofields.update(newinfofields)
+                        newInfo = ";".join(curinfofields)
+                    
+                    infodict[chrompos] = newInfo
+                    #print(newInfo)
+            else:
+                infodict[chrompos] = info
+
+# dictionary has been constructed; now just iterate through the first vcf
+# and update the info field, printing to the output file
+
+if ( debug ):
+    for key in infodict:
+        print(infodict[key])
+
+for line in open(vcfInputFiles[0]).readlines():
+    line = line.strip()
+    if ( line.startswith("#") ):
+        # this is a header
+        vcfOutputFile.write(line+"\n")
+    else:
+        # this is a real line
+        spline = line.split()
+        outstring = ""
+        fieldno = 0
+        for field in spline:
+            #print("fieldno="+str(fieldno))
+            if ( fieldno == 7 ):
+                outstring = outstring+infodict[spline[0]+":"+spline[1]]+"\t"
+                fieldno = fieldno + 1
+            else:
+                outstring = outstring+field+"\t"
+                fieldno = fieldno + 1
+        # we wrote an extra \t, replace the last one with an \n
+        outstring = outstring.strip()+"\n"
+        vcfOutputFile.write(outstring)
+
+
+# and we're done