HSV Test

"A definitive diagnosis should be confirmed by a laboratory test even if the infection was established in the past on clinical ground." ACOG Practice Bulletin 57 (2004).

Both herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and type 2 can cause genital herpes. Because the infection is chronic and often times undiagnosed, genital herpes has become the most common sexually transmitted disease.

Most women with genital HSV-1 or genital HSV-2 infections are asymptomatic

However, among women with a history of genital herpes infections, subclinical shedding of HSV is common and accounts for nearly one third of the total days of reactivation of HSV infection in the genital tract. Women with frequent symptomatic recurrences also have frequent subclinical shedding and may be at a high risk for transmitting HSV.

EPI offers HSV-1 and HSV-2 PCR testing on samples collected using liquid pap collection fluid or M4RT viral transport media. HSV testing is performed weekly and can be ordered alone or run in addition to the pap, HPV and/or CT/NG tests. Because of the high false negative rate associated with a viral culture (up to 25% in primary infection and roughly 50% for recurrent disease), PCR has also been used to detect new or recurrent disease in genital ulcers.