So how would PCR be able to detect the virus in a blood sample? This didn't make any sense to me as I thought the HSV-2 virus was not present in your bloodstream, but rather lived in certain nerve tracts. But the doctor argued that HSV-2 PCR test can be serologically. Regarding test #1, my understanding was that a PCR test could only be done by swabbing an active sore, which of course I don't have any active sores. This recommendation runs contrary to everything I've read online about HSV-2 detection. I guess you can't get this magical Western Blot test anywhere, despite numerous articles about it online.Īnyways, my primary care doctor ordered the following 3 tests, which he claimed are the "gold standard" for HSV-2" My primary care doctor had never heard of such a test, so he scoffed at the idea anyways. Well, turns out the U of Washington phone number is out of service. But I digress.).Īnyways, I printed out the following information for my doctor:Īnd took this information to my primary care doctor and told them I wanted them to order this test and to call the listed phone number and follow the instructions on that page. Imagine the resulting calamity if we allowed such a thing. (Because, god forbid I choose to pay for a medical test myself without a mystical doctor's permission. The test is apparently only done at the University of Washington, and needs to be ordered by a doctor. The advice on all the online articles I read was to get a Western Blot test for HSV-2, which everyone proclaims as the "gold standard" and much more reliable than the HSV-2 IgG test. I wonder why the HSV-2 IgG test has an "indeterminate" level of 0.91 - 1.09, because it seems that the test is pretty indeterminate all the way up to a level of 3.5 or so, based on the online literature. It seems like the HSV-2 IgG test is not ideally suited to my situation, especially considering that my level came back as only 2.2. I read a variety of online articles like these: I've had no known exposure to HSV-2 as my only partner since my last battery of STD tests is negative for HSV-2. I've never had a genital outbreak of any kind.Ĥ. I definitely have HSV-1 (since childhood), which is known to cause false positives for the HSV-2 IgG test.ģ.
My HSV-2 IgG test came back at a level of only 2.2, which is quite low and in the gray area (although the official level for a positive result is only 1.1)Ģ. The result of my online lay research was that I seem to be a prime candidate for a false positive for HSV-2, based on the following factors:ġ. That didn't make any sense to me, as I'd been in a monogamous relationship (with someone who does not have HSV-2) since the last time I was tested many years ago. Well, to my surprise, my HSV-2 result also came back positive. We both disclosed to the other that we both had HSV-1 with occasional cold-sores. I recently started a new relationship with a girl and we both agreed to get tested for STDs.
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