Testing herpes virus

What is a herpes HSV test? There are two main types of HSV: HSV-1, which usually causes blisters or cold sores around the mouth oral herpes HSV-2, which usually causes blisters or sores in the genital area genital herpes Herpes is spread through direct contact with sores. What is it used for?

Why do I need an HSV test? But you may need an HSV test if: You have symptoms of herpes, such as blisters or sores on the genitals or other part of the body Your sex partner has herpes You are pregnant and you or your partner has had a previous herpes infection or symptoms of genital herpes.

If you test positive for HSV, your baby may need testing as well. What happens during an HSV test? For a swab test, a health care provider will use a swab to collect fluid and cells from a herpes sore. For a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial.

You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes. A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, is only done if your provider thinks you may have an infection of the brain or spinal cord. During a spinal tap: You will lie on your side or sit on an exam table.

A health care provider will clean your back and inject an anesthetic into your skin, so you won't feel pain during the procedure. Your provider may put a numbing cream on your back before this injection. Once the area on your back is completely numb, your provider will insert a thin, hollow needle between two vertebrae in your lower spine.

Vertebrae are the small backbones that make up your spine. Your provider will withdraw a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. This will take about five minutes. Your provider may ask you to lie on your back for an hour or two after the procedure. This may prevent you from getting a headache afterward. Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

Are there any risks to the test? There is no known risk to having a swab test. What do the results mean? Is there anything else I need to know about an HSV test?

If you are sexually active, you can reduce your risk of infection by Being in a long-term relationship with one partner who has tested negative for STDs Using condoms correctly every time you have sex If you've been diagnosed with genital herpes, condom use can reduce your risk of spreading the infection to others.

References Allina Health [Internet]. Can you tell by just looking? Can a healthcare provider? When it comes to diagnosing genital herpes, it takes more than a look. There are different tests available for herpes. Viral culture and DNA tests can be done if you are experiencing symptoms. Blood tests are available for people who may not have had symptoms or if the signs have already healed.

When a person has active herpes lesions a. Culture can easily miss infections and give false negative results. Because a culture works by requiring virus that is active, if a lesion is very small, or is already beginning to heal, there may not be enough virus present for an accurate culture.

Beyond 48 hours of the symptoms appearing, there is a risk of receiving a false negative test result. There is also less chance of a false negative result with NAATs. Blood tests can be used when a person has no visible symptoms but has concerns about having herpes. When an individual contracts herpes, the immune system responds by developing antibodies to fight the virus: IgG and IgM. Blood tests can look for and detect these antibodies—not the virus itself.

IgG appears soon after infection and stays in the blood for life. IgM is actually the first antibody that appears after infection, but it may disappear thereafter.

Herpes blood tests also called type-specific HSV serologic tests might be useful. Please note that while a herpes blood test can help determine if you have herpes infection, it will not be able to tell you who gave you the infection. CDC recommends herpes testing for people who have genital symptoms for herpes to confirm that they are infected.

The blisters break and leave painful sores that may take weeks to heal. Testing allows a doctor to talk with you about what to expect in the future, which medications are available to help manage any symptoms, and how you can lower your risk of spreading the infection to your sex partner s.

If you have a partner with genital herpes, testing can tell if you also have the virus. If you are not infected, your doctor can talk to you about ways to lower your risk of getting genital herpes. If you are a pregnant woman and have a partner with genital herpes, it is very important to get tested.

If you get genital herpes during pregnancy your baby could also become infected. Herpes infections in babies can be life-threatening. If you are infected, your doctor will talk to you about your diagnosis and the possible symptoms of genital herpes. In addition, herpes blood testing may be useful if you are seeking a complete STD exam, especially if you have multiple sex partners.

Herpes blood tests may or may not be included. Your doctor chooses STD tests based on your sexual behaviors number of sex partners, if condoms are used every time, etc. This is why you should have an open and honest discussion with your doctor about your sex practices and history. When you go in for STD testing, it is important to ask your doctor which infections you are and are not being tested for, and why.

STD tests are usually done for infections that have serious outcomes if they are not treated. For example, finding and treating curable STDs like chlamydia can stop them from causing serious complications like infertility the inability to get pregnant in women. Genital herpes does not usually result in serious outcomes in healthy, non-pregnant adults.

More often, the stigma and shame from a genital herpes infection can be more troubling to someone who is infected than the disease itself. If you are worried about genital herpes, you should talk with your doctor about whether you should be tested.