Questions and Answers About Herpes Diagnosis
This was an exchange I had recently on my Genital Herpes message board that is an excellent overview of relevant questions about herpes diagnosis:
Q: Are the results of a Herpeselect bloodtest definitive for the diagnosis of HSV provided enough time has passed (e.g. 6 months) from onset of symptoms?
A: I think it is a very good diagnostic tool, and will be made even better during the month of September. I think 6 months is long enough to seroconvert. The number of people who will seroconvert after that is very very small. I prefer to live life with the likelihoods, not the statistics that are way out on the edge somewhere. Otherwise, I would never leave my house.
Q: Have you seen any cases where the blood tests are negative despite positive clinical diagnosis or culture results?
A: Yes, and I have seen cases where the western blot does not become positive either.
Q: I've been diagnosed with genital HSV by physical examination but still have not had a definitive test result after 12 weeks and no recurrences so far.
A: You need a laboratory confirmation. I would wait a month or so longer and retest.
Q: What are the main difference between the Immunoblot and ELISA test from Focus?
A: The differences are simply in the way that the test is run - one for large lab formats and one for small labs. The cell lines used to develop the test are the same.
Q: If after 12 weeks of apparent onset of symptoms, the Immunoblot is negative and the ELISA is 0.90 (equivocal range), then which set of results should I go by? Do you recommend testing again after another 6-8 weeks or use a different test?
A: The ELISA is also negative at .90. I would recommend retesting in another month. if you are HSV 1 positive you can take slightly longer to serconvert.
Q: In your clinic, how many Oral HSV 2 cases have you seen?
A: Three
Q: If no sex is involved, how easy is it to transmit HSV2 to someone if lets say you share the same house and bathroom and has a lot of day to day physical contact, but no sexual contact?
A: You need skin to skin contact to transmit. It is not transmitted through household contact.
Related Topics: Diagnosed with Herpes, Living with Herpes
Q: Are the results of a Herpeselect bloodtest definitive for the diagnosis of HSV provided enough time has passed (e.g. 6 months) from onset of symptoms?
A: I think it is a very good diagnostic tool, and will be made even better during the month of September. I think 6 months is long enough to seroconvert. The number of people who will seroconvert after that is very very small. I prefer to live life with the likelihoods, not the statistics that are way out on the edge somewhere. Otherwise, I would never leave my house.
Q: Have you seen any cases where the blood tests are negative despite positive clinical diagnosis or culture results?
A: Yes, and I have seen cases where the western blot does not become positive either.
Q: I've been diagnosed with genital HSV by physical examination but still have not had a definitive test result after 12 weeks and no recurrences so far.
A: You need a laboratory confirmation. I would wait a month or so longer and retest.
Q: What are the main difference between the Immunoblot and ELISA test from Focus?
A: The differences are simply in the way that the test is run - one for large lab formats and one for small labs. The cell lines used to develop the test are the same.
Q: If after 12 weeks of apparent onset of symptoms, the Immunoblot is negative and the ELISA is 0.90 (equivocal range), then which set of results should I go by? Do you recommend testing again after another 6-8 weeks or use a different test?
A: The ELISA is also negative at .90. I would recommend retesting in another month. if you are HSV 1 positive you can take slightly longer to serconvert.
Q: In your clinic, how many Oral HSV 2 cases have you seen?
A: Three
Q: If no sex is involved, how easy is it to transmit HSV2 to someone if lets say you share the same house and bathroom and has a lot of day to day physical contact, but no sexual contact?
A: You need skin to skin contact to transmit. It is not transmitted through household contact.
Related Topics: Diagnosed with Herpes, Living with Herpes
36 Comments:
Terri, one of the questions reads:
Q: Have you seen any cases where the blood tests are positive despite positive clinical diagnosis or culture results?
Either I am misreading, or it doesn't make sense. Do you mean "Have you seen any cases where the blood tests are negative..."
Good catch on that! I checked with Terri, and it was a typo -- it's been edited to read as you suggested.
Terri, I was diagnosed with g-herpes about 2 and 1/2 years ago.I was wondering if that would stop me from becoming a nurse. Also is g-herpes transmitted through the blood? Is giving blood ok or not??
Q: What is the diference if any between herpes simplex1 or2 virus and say genital warts ?Are they the same ? Can one lead to the other or just 2 different diseases?
If herpes kept you from becoming a nurse then 80-90% of the work force would be ineligable due to hsv1 and hsv2!! Unless you are having sex with someone your genital herpes is not a concern.
hsv1 and hsv2 have absolutely nothing in common with hpv. They are completely different viruses. www.ashastd.org has terrific information on both of them to check out :)
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how long does an out break of genital herpes usually last for
For answers to your questions about herpes, please visit our message boards.
Thank you!
If my boyfriend and I both test positive for genital herpes,can we have unprotected sex with one another?
My stepdaughter was just diagnosed with herpes. Are there any precautions we need to take with her around the house? For instance, can she give it to the baby if she hasnt washed her hand before changing his diaper?
Q: If negative is less then 0.90 and postive is over 1.10, then what does it me when the result is 0.98?
Q: Can you get herpes by shakeing hands with someone who is positive and currently has sores?
Im 16 years old and about a year and a half ago I fingerd a girl for the first time and thats all we did we did not kiss or anything, I just fingered her. I just now got a girlfriend and I would never want to hurt her in any way. I have had white bumps on my penis shaft for awhile and eventually got a pemple or two on there as well. Just recently I have a red rash about the size of a dime on the head of my penis and another one the size of the tip of my pinky on the head as well. I've also got some itching going on as well. For along time there I was not the most sanitary person I should have been cause I really didn't care about much, so I didn't change my boxer briefs every day, I usually changed them once a month or once every three weeks, I just now started changing them daily. I'm not sure as of what to do, Im not sure what it is and Im to scared to tell my parents anything about it and the only reason I am coming out now is because I would never want to hurt my girlfriend in any way. She means everything to me. I just don't know what to do. Can someone give me some advice and tell me if you think I have herpes or an STD of some sort..... thats all for now... thank you
I recently had what I thought was a painful yeast infection. I went to the Drs. and the Dr. who examined me thought it was herpes. She tried to do a culture and it broke so we weren't able to do that. I went in the next week and got the results of my blood tests and all of them were negative (but the Dr. explained that if I had been recently exposed to herpes it wouldn't show up in the blood anyway). Now I have been with my b/f for 6 months and he is the only guy I have ever had sex with. I haven't been with my last boyfriend who I never had sex with in about 1 1/2 years. My b/f has been with a number of girls in his past. His last g/f and him broke up in July. After my herpes scare my b/f was tested and his tests came back negative too. He has never had any symptoms of herpes at all. My symptoms unfortionately matched those of herpes. I was given valtrex but what I found that offered me the most relief was vagisil. Is it possable that what I broke out with wasn't herpes?? Have you ever heard of a situation like this where someone had some of the symptoms of herpes but didn't actually have it?? I just want to know for sure if I have this or if I don't.
Thank you
I have a bump that looks like a boil on the shaft of my penis and its been there for a couple of days theres no discharge and im a virgin what could this be?
To all asking about bumps, lesions and sores:
Please visit your medical provider to be properly diagnosed. That's the only way to know what they are.
Thank you,
WebMD Blog Administrator
I just went to the dr's and got tested for everything, and the herpes test came back positive. I have had no physical symptoms. Is this possible.
About two yrs ago I was admitted to the hospital because of recurring viral meningitis. An infectous disease specialist did a swab and the test came back inconclusive. They gave me a bloodtest for antibodies that came back positive. Since then I haven't taken any medication for the virus. Can this cause any major health issues for me?
if you kiss a person that has herpes, and with open mount tonge to tonge,will the sylavia of the other person make you infected even if there is no signs of cold sores, mouth sores, or anything, and this person has never had a outbreak in 2 years
Can you get herpes from someone performing oral sex on you when they have cankor sores?
Can one have Herpes for an extended period of time, say 20 years, and not have any appearance of symptoms? Can Herpes be misdiagnosed as other STD's?
hi i just recently discovered bumps around my penis. they look like birth marks really but i never had it is it clamidia, gonorhea or herpes?
For the past two months I am getting small pimples on one side of the base of my penis. Then my skin around my scrotum begins to shed. I did have sex with someone with herpes but she would never put me in a situation where I would contract it. I also used protection and wore underwear during inter course. Do I have the symptoms of herpes???
Hi! I am 17 years old and have these bumps going up the shaft of my penis. The thing is theyve been there for as long time and i never paid attention to it untill now. They dont hurt and my doctor has never said anything about it. I was just wondering what they could be. Can you help me?
maybe uncommon but i will leave e-mail address and please respond , I have had a boil on my gentiel area for months , never had it checked and caused my to refrane from sex , just the other day i woke to find thatt it more than tripled in size + is very tender . What to do ?
To those looking for information about boils or painful bumps in the genital area:
There is no substitute for an in-person examination because an exact diagnosis can be made. However, please see this article or this one for some general information about what they might possibly be, with the understanding that only a qualified health professional can make the final diagnosis.
What is the best test to get if you have no signs of genital herpes but want to get tested for it?
Is there any way that you could not have an STD when you see a few random "pimple-like" white bumps on your genitals that do not hurt and go away within a few days? Also, what STD are these symptoms most common of?
i have about ten pimples onmy scrotum i have on 2 pretty big ones it dont hurt sometimes itches
i have like five TINY bumps on my penis shaft that dont hurt or burn or anything and i have like four really white looking bumps in my pubic hair almost looking like pimples but when i try to pop them they just turn really red and the blood stays under the skin nothing comes out... What could this possibly be my doctor said he was unsure what it was.
What is the possibiltiy of getting herpes if a boy just touches ur vagina..he did not touch himself and then me. but i was worried what if he went to the bathroom and touched and then later touched me?
can you get herpes being a virgin?
I know with HSV-2 you can have recurring outbreaks over time, but I went to the doctor about two years ago because I had sores on my vagina. They did a culture and the results were it was HSV-1. With that my question is can HSV-1 recur on my vaginal area like HSV-2 would?
I was diagnosed with herpes 2 and have been taking valtrex daily for the last couple of years. But I seem to continue getting out breaks after having sex with my long term boyfried. Why do I continue having these outbreaks when I am taking medication?
I had sex with somebody infected with herpes.. He didnt tell me until after I had began giving him head. He had no signs, and I stopped promptly. Can I get oral herpes from that?
Do not have any symptoms but blood test result was positive!(herpes 1 & 2) Is this possible? I've only had sex with my husband. (20 yrs now)!!! please help
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