IgG Test For Herpes - Best Way To Figure Out If You Have Herpes

There are several ways to know if the herpes virus is present in your body. One of the most common ways is herpes blood test.

Herpes blood tests give a confirmation weather you have herpes infection or not. In this test we look for the antibodies developed by the body’s immune system not for the virus. On the basis of antibodies, there are two types of herpes blood tests- IgG and IgM herpes test.

Herpes IgM antibodies are generally detectable after 7-10 days of the infection and the herpes IgG antibodies takes some time of more than 3 weeks. So the herpes IgG antibody test will be accurate after the 4-5 weeks of infection. The Positive herpes IgG test means that you have been infected with the herpes simplex virus and your infection is at least 4-5 weeks older.

When Should You Go For The Test?

If the yellow or grey color blisters or sores appear with the red base on the genitals or face, then it is possible that it may be caused by herpes viruses. So, wait for a month after the outbreak and then go for the IgG herpes test to solve your doubt.

It is also possible that you have an IgG positive and IgM negative test results. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t have herpes. If it happens then discuss this with your doctor and follow his instruction.

6 out of 10 herpes patients have herpes, but they have no signs and symptoms at all. Sometimes they don’t get this to know for lifetime. A herpes sufferer can spread herpes virus even with no signs and symptoms. Try to use natural remedies to prevent yourself from herpes infection. Natural remedies have no side-effects and also help you to boost your immunity that helps in keeping the herpes virus inactive in your body.

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Genital Herpes Simplex STD

Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is primarily a disease of young adults. It is a recurrent, life-long infection. There are two serotypes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Most genital cases are caused by HSV-2. At least 50 million persons in the United States have genital HSV infection. Sexual encounters are often delayed or avoided for fear of acquiring or transmitting the disease. The psychologic implications are obvious. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 is not an etiologic factor in cervical cancer as was once suspected.

Most persons infected with HSV-2 have not been diagnosed. Many have mild or unrecognized infections but shed virus intermittently in the genital tract. Most genital herpes infections are transmitted by persons unaware that they have the infection or who are asymptomatic when transmission occurred. The first-episode genital infection may be severe. Herpes simplex infection of the penis, vulva, and rectum is pathophysiologically identical to herpes infection in other areas.

Prevalence From 1988 to 1994, the seroprevalence of HSV-2 in persons 12 years of age or older in the United States was 21.9 percent, corresponding to 45 million infected people. HSV-2 is now detectable in one of five persons 12 years of age or older in the United States.

Genital Herpes Simplex Laboratory diagnosis

Laboratory diagnosis

The sensitivity of all laboratory methods depends on the stage of lesions (sensitivity is higher in vesicular than in ulcerative lesions), on whether the patient has a first or a recurrent episode of the disease (higher in first episodes), and on whether the sample is from an immunosuppressed or an immunocompetent patient (more antigen is found in immunosuppressed patients). It is crucial to document genital herpes simplex infection in pregnant women and cutaneous herpes in newborn infants. Consequently, in these instances suspicious vesicular and eroded lesions should be cultured. In all other forms the clinical presentation is usually so characteristic that an accurate diagnosis can be made by inspection. A number of laboratory procedures are available if confirmation is desired.

Culture.

The most definitive method for diagnosis in patients who present with genital ulcers or other mucocutaneous lesions is viral culture which can distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2. The culture must be obtained from active lesions during viral shedding, which, on average, lasts 4 days. 50% of cultures are negative in recurrent lesions. Vesicles and wet erosions give a higher yield than dry erosions or crusts. Vesicles are punctured and the fluid is absorbed into the swab, which is then rubbed vigorously onto the base of the lesion. Cervical samples are taken from the endocervix with the swab. From the viewpoint of cost, the insertion of separate swabs from a number of anatomic sites (cervix, vaginal ulcers, vaginal fissures, anus) into one culture vial is the most efficient way to collect genital samples for viral culture. Specimens are inoculated into transport media. Results may be available in 1 to 7 days.

Cytology and histology

Cytologic detection of cellular changes of herpes virus infection is insensitive and nonspecific, both in genital lesions (Tzanck preparation) and cervical Pap smears, and should not be relied on for diagnosis of HSV infection.

The histologic picture is characteristic but not unique for herpes simplex. Polymerase chain reaction assays for HSV is available in some laboratories and is the test of choice for detecting HSV in spinal fluid for diagnosis of HSV-infection of the central nervous system.

Genital Herpes Simplex Serology

Serology

Fifty percent to ninety percent of adults have antibody to HSV. Because of the high incidence of antibodies to herpes simplex in the population, assay of a single serum specimen is not of great value.

Subtyping.

There are two serotypes of HSV. HSV-1 infections are primarily oropharyngeal; genital infections can also be caused by this serotype.

HSV-2 infections are primarily genital but are also detected in the mouth.

HSV-1 seropositivity is usually associated with orolabial infection. Herpes simplex virus type 2 seropositivity is usually associated with genital infection. HSV-1 is now a significant cause of genital herpes and is implicated in 5% to 30% of all first-episode cases. The proportion of HSV-1 among initial genital herpes infections is higher among men who have sex with men (46.9%) than among women (21.4%) and is lowest among heterosexual men (14.6%). Receptive oral sex significantly increased the odds that initial infections are HSV-1 rather than HSV-2. Genital HSV-1 may often be acquired through contact with a partners mouth.

Type-specific Serologic Tests

Type-specific and nonspecific antibodies develop during the first several weeks following infection and persist indefinitely. Almost all HSV-2 infections are sexually acquired. Therefore HSV-2 antibody indicates anogenital infection, but the presence of HSV-1 antibody does not distinguish anogenital from orolabial infection. Persons with subclinical or unrecognized infections are best diagnosed by type-specific antibody tests.

Genital Herpes Simplex During Pregnancy

Genital herpes simplex during pregnancy

Most mothers of infants who acquire neonatal herpes lack histories of clinically evident genital herpes. Many neonatal infections result from asymptomatic cervical shedding of virus after a primary episode of genital HSV in the third trimester. The risk for transmission to the neonate from an infected mother is high (30%-50%) among women who acquire genital herpes near the time of delivery and is low (less than 1%) among women with histories of recurrent herpes at term or who acquire genital HSV during the first half of pregnancy. However, because recurrent genital herpes is much more common than initial HSV infection during pregnancy, the proportion of neonatal HSV infections acquired from mothers with recurrent herpes remains high. Prevention of neonatal herpes depends both on preventing acquisition of genital HSV infection during late pregnancy and avoiding exposure of the infant to herpetic lesions during delivery.

Genital Herpes Simplex Testing Pregnant Women

"Testing Pregnant Women

Consider testing pregnant women who are at risk of acquiring herpes in the third trimester. These are women without a history of genital herpes whose partner is known to be infected or is seropositive. Infection of the neonate is most common when the mother develops primary infection late in pregnancy. Transmission of herpes to the neonate during birth results in neonatal herpes, with devastating results.

A pregnant seronegative woman could be identified and counseled to avoid transmission during the third trimester. An HSV-2_eropositive woman can be informed that her risk of transmission to her fetus is low and that most patients can have a vaginal delivery. If a woman is entirely seronegative and her partner is HSV-1 positive, they should be instructed to avoid oral-genital and genital-genital contact in the last trimester, as HSV-1 accounts for up to 30% of cases of neonatal herpes. Consider suppressive therapy for seropositive men unwilling to abstain or to use condoms. "

Genital Herpes Simplex Frequency of Recurrence

"Frequency of recurrence

Approximately 80% to 90% of persons with a symptomatic first episode of HSV-2 genital infection will have a recurrent episode within the following year, compared with 50% to 60% of patients with HSV-1 infection.

Reactivation decreases in frequency over time in most patients. Ninety-five percent of patients with primary HSV-2 have recurrences, with a median time to the first recurrence of approximately 50 days. Fifty percent of patients with primary HSV-1 have recurrent outbreaks, and the median time to the first recurrence is 1 year. Median recurrence rates in the first year are one (HSV-1) and five (HSV-2) per year in patients with newly acquired infection. Patients infected with HSV-2 who were followed for more than 4 years had a median decrease of two recurrences between years 1 and 5. However, 25% of these patients had an increase of at least one recurrence in year 5. Decreases over time among patients who never received suppressive therapy were similar to decreases during untreated periods in patients who received suppressive therapy. Patients who had severe primary infection had recurrences nearly twice as often and had a shorter time to first recurrence compared with those who had shorter first episodes. "