Herpes 1 And 2 Blood Test

Can I Take The Test At Home

At-home tests are available to test for evidence of an HSV infection. At-home herpes testing typically detects HSV antibodies in a self-collected blood sample and may require additional follow-up if preliminary results are positive. At-home herpes tests can be obtained online or at a local pharmacy.

What Do My Test Results Mean

There are two possible antibodies that your body can make to HSV-1 and HSV-2. These are IgM and IgG.

IgM is the antibody that is made first and typically represents a current or acute infection, although this may not always be the case.

IgG is made after the IgM antibody and typically will be present in the bloodstream for the rest of your life.

A negative test result is considered normal. This generally means that youve never contracted an HSV infection.

However, its possible for your results to come back negative even if youve contracted the infection within the past few months. This is referred to as a false negative.

Your body will typically take several weeks to develop IgG antibodies to HSV.

If youre tested earlier in your infection, its possible to have a false negative result. Your doctor may recommend that you return in 2 to 3 weeks to be retested.

A positive test result for HSV-1 or HSV-2 indicates that youve contracted either virus at some point.

The results also allow your doctor to differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2, which isnt always possible by visually examining the sores.

Depending on your results, you and your doctor can discuss ways to treat and prevent the transmission of your HSV infection.

When a serum antibody test is recommended for HSV, IgG detection is preferred. In fact, some laboratories are discontinuing their IgM tests in the future.

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Why Doesnt Everyone Receive A Herpes Blood Test

Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 may be common infections today, but a majority of people who actually have this infection will not experience any symptoms. Disease control agencies, such as the CDC do not recommend herpes testing for anyone without symptoms. There is evidence that diagnosing someone without symptoms does not change their sexual behavior.

When discussing your sexual habits with your doctor, it is more effective to determine if you should be tested for any or all STDs instead. This would include a herpes blood test at this point.

If there are bothersome signs and symptoms of a herpes outbreak, then the herpes blood test may be able to provide useful information. Youll want to consider requesting this blood test if any one of these three sexual health issues would describe your current situation.

• You are currently experiencing genital symptoms that you believe could be related to herpes.
• You are currently having sex or have had a sexual partner in the past who you know had genital herpes.
• You have had multiple sexual partners in the recent past and you want to have a complete STD exam.

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How To Test For Hsv

All you have to do is provide a blood sample at your lab of choice. Because this test looks at your blood and is not a swab, you do not need to be experiencing an outbreak to receive accurate results. The test looks at the blood sample for IgG antibodies specific to HSV-1 and HSV-2 to confirm or rule out possible infection. As per CDC guidelines, tests with results that are right at the positive threshold or are a low positive will be tested again to ensure accurate results.

Unfortunately, there is no way to identify the location of the infection, so all any test can tell you is which strain of HSV was found but not if its in the genital or oral region.

If you have never experienced symptoms and receive positive results, that is considered a primary asymptomatic infection. These types of infections are common, causing people more psychological stress by a positive result than actual physical stress since the infection is not causing symptoms.

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• Laboratories: Where possible, MNT will choose companies that process test samples in labs. This means they follow state and federal regulations.
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Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information presented is purely research-based and correct at the time of publication.

Medical News Today follows a strict product selection and vetting process. Learn more here.

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I Have Symptoms But My Hsv 2 Blood Test Was Negative

Although HSV 2 is the most common infection that causes genital herpes, the HSV 1 virus can also cause the same signs and symptoms. Most of the time HSV 1 presents itself as an active infection by the presence of cold sores or fever blisters around the mouth. These will last for about 10-14 days in most individuals and created crusted sores in the corner of the mouth that can make it very painful to eat.

If an individual with an active HSV 1 infection of the mouth performs oral sex on their partner, then this can create an active genital herpes infection. If this happens, then the HSV 2 blood test could be negative because a different herpes virus has caused the bothersome symptoms.

The HSV 2 blood test has also been known to create false positive results from time to time. If this blood test is positive, but you do not have any known genital herpes outbreaks, did not have a positive culture test, and did not have a positive PCR result, then an immunoblot test may be necessary to confirm a diagnosis. If the immunoblot test is given, a test result that is higher than 1.1 is generally considered to be a strong indication of the presence of herpes.

What Do The Results Mean

Your HSV test results will be given as negative, also called normal, or positive, also called abnormal.

Negative/Normal. The herpes virus was not found. You may still have an HSV infection if your results were normal. It may mean the sample didn’t have enough of the virus to be detected. If you still have symptoms of herpes, you may need to get tested again.

Positive/Abnormal. HSV was found in your sample. It may mean you have an active infection , or were infected in the past .

If you tested positive for HSV, talk to your health care provider. While there is no cure for herpes, it hardly ever causes serious health problems. Some people may only have one outbreak of sores their whole lives, while others break out more often. If you want to reduce the severity and number of your outbreaks, your provider may prescribe a medicine that can help.

Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.

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How Does The Herpes Antibodies Test Work

A herpes antibodies test works by looking in your blood for HSV-1 antibodies or HSV-2 antibodies â typically the IgG type but sometimes the IgM type.

These tests only indicate exposure to either HSV-1 or HSV-2 at some point in your past. This does not necessarily mean that HSV is causing any current symptoms that you may have â since the exposure could have been years ago.

If you are worried about a new infection, it might be useful to take the test again around 21 days later to make sure that your body has had enough time to produce the antibodies.

The tests can give false-positive results. You may want to repeat the test or try other forms of testing to confirm the results.

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Accuracy By Test Type

Two blood tests are used to screen for herpes. To ensure that an initial positive result is correct, a second test using a different method of detection is used to confirm the results.

The first test is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . An ELISA looks for immune proteins, called antibodies, that are produced by the immune system in response to the HSV. HSV antibodies are present even when there are no symptoms.

If the ELISA result is positive, your healthcare provider may administer a Western blot assay. This second test looks for proteins on the surface of the virus, called antigens, which serve as the virus’ “ID tag.” HSV antibodies produced in response to these antigens help the immune system target its attack.

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the accuracy of the two blood used to diagnose herpes breaks down as follows:

Due to its high level of sensitivity and specificity, the Western blot is considered the gold standard of herpes blood testing.

With that said, the accuracy of the tests can be affected by the timing of the tests. For an ELISA to return an accurate result, the immune system needs to produce enough antibodies to reach detectable levels.

Testing too early during the so-called window period can end up causing a false-negative result .

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Herpes Simplex 1 And 2 Testing

Antigens are foreign substances such as viruses or bacteria that cause your immune system to respond. Thus, HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses are antigens and the bodys immune system creates antibodies in response to these antigens to fight or neutralize them. Antibodies are also called immunoglobulins . Antibodies are always present, whether you are having an active outbreak or not. You can have the test anytime.

The testing methods for HSV-1 and HSV-2 include:

Direct fluorescent antibody

• Direct microscopic examination of virus-infected cells: Impression smears of tissues, lesion/ulcer scrapings and swabs, or upper respiratory tract swabs.
• Used to distinguish HSV-1 from HSV-2.
• Generally, this test is not as sensitive as a cell culture.

Immunoblot

What Is A Serum Herpes Simplex Antibodies Test

A serum herpes simplex antibodies test is a blood test that checks for the presence of antibodies to the herpes simplex virus .

HSV is a common infection that causes herpes. Herpes can appear in various parts of the body, but it most commonly affects the genitals or mouth. The two types of herpes infections are HSV-1 and HSV-2.

HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes, usually causes cold sores and blisters near the mouth and on the face.

Its transmitted through kissing or sharing drinking glasses and utensils with a person who has an HSV infection.

HSV-2 is typically responsible for causing genital herpes. Its generally transmitted through sexual contact.

HSV-1 and HSV-2 dont always cause symptoms, and people may not know they have the infection.

The serum herpes simplex antibodies test doesnt actually check for the HSV infection itself. However, it can determine whether someone has antibodies to the virus.

Antibodies are special proteins that the body uses to defend itself against invading organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

This means that most people who have an HSV infection will have the corresponding antibodies.

The test can detect antibodies for both types of HSV infections.

Your doctor may order a serum herpes simplex antibodies test if they suspect you have an HSV infection.

The results will determine whether youve contracted an HSV infection. If you have the antibodies to HSV, youll test positive even if you dont currently show any symptoms.

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Herpes Is A Common Infection

Herpes is a super-common infection that stays in your body for life. More than half of Americans have oral herpes, and about 1 out of 6 Americans has genital herpes. So chances are a few people you know are living with herpes.

Theres no cure for herpes, but medication can ease your symptoms and lower your chances of giving the virus to other people. And the good news is, outbreaks usually become less frequent over time, and even though herpes can sometimes be uncomfortable and painful, its not dangerous. People with herpes have relationships, have sex, and live perfectly healthy lives.

Testing With No Symptoms

Blood tests can be used when a person has no visible symptoms but has concerns about having herpes. Blood tests do not actually detect the virus instead, they look for antibodies in the blood.

IgM vs. IgG

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 antibodiesnot 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.

IgM tests are not recommended because of three serious problems:

The accurate herpes blood tests detect IgG antibodies. Unlike IgM, IgG antibodies can be accurately broken down to either HSV-1 or HSV-2. The challenge here is that the time it takes for IgG antibodies to reach detectable levels can vary from person to person. For one person, it could take just a few weeks, while it could take a few months for another. So even with the accurate tests, a person could receive a false negative if the test is taken too soon after contracting the virus.

For the most accurate test result, it is recommended to wait 12 16 weeks from the last possible date of exposure before getting an accurate, type-specific blood test in order to allow enough time for antibodies to reach detectable levels.

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Best For Early Detection: Priority Std

• Collection method: blood test or urine sample
• Results: within 13 days
• Follow-up care: phone consultation with partner physician who may prescribe treatment for $65
• Cost:$99 for standard herpes testing and $189 for early-detection testing
• Pro: offers tests for early detection of herpes
• Con: requires a visit to a laboratory

Priority STD offers two lab-based herpes detection tests: A standard herpes test, costing $99, and a herpes early detection test, costing $189. The latter can detect the presence of the herpes simplex virus as early as 10 days after exposure.

This may be suitable for people who would prefer to quickly seek diagnosis and treatment for herpes.

To order either herpes test, a person must access the company website and enter their ZIP code to find their nearest testing center.

The company claims it has over 4,000 private test centers across the United States.

After ordering the herpes test, a person can walk into their local center to receive the testing. An appointment is not necessary.

The test procedure involves a simple blood test and urine sample, which typically takes a matter of minutes. A person can expect to receive their online test results within 13 days.

In the event of a positive result, a person can have a phone consultation with a partner physician, who may prescribe treatment at an additional cost of $65.

How To Get Tested

Tests for genital and oral herpes are available at doctors offices, medical clinics, and community-based organizations that offer STD testing. Testing is often ordered by a doctor but may be available over the counter and at community-based organizations without a physicians orders.

You can order a herpes test from Testing.com with testing from a local lab. Or you can test for herpes as part of a complete STD panel.

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Why Is The Igm Hsv Antibodies Test No Longer Recommended

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American Society for Microbiology all recommend the use of the IgG antibodies test over the IgM HSV test.

IgG tests are preferred because:

• For herpes, IgG and IgM antibodies show up around the same time â normally, IgM antibodies appear first.
• IgM antibodies may only last a few months and may not be made after the first outbreak â but IgG antibodies last indefinitely and are made during all outbreaks.
• IgG antibodies can distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2 and IgM antibodies canât.

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How Test Accuracy Is Measured

The accuracy of all medical tests, including herpes tests, is measured based on two values: sensitivity and specificity.

Sensitivityis how often a test correctly identifies someone with a disease. A test that is 90% sensitive will correctly identify 90 people out of 100 who have the disease. Ten people will have a false-negative result.

Specificity, on the other hand, refers to a test’s ability to correctly identify someone who doesn’t have the disease. If a test is 90% specific, that means that 90 people out of 100 will be correctly diagnosed as not having a disease and that 10 people will have a false-positive result.

The higher the sensitivity and specificity, the lower the chances of a false result.

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Is There Anything Else I Need To Know About An Hsv Test

The best way to prevent genital herpes or another STD is to not have sex. 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.