Which is better - immunoblot or ELISA for HSV-1?

Question

Hello doctor,

I met with a girl a few months back. She had been rubbing her vagina and then put her finger in my backside. She said she was clean but hard to know. After about three months, I got tested for STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) panel and came up negative with everything including (Herpes Simplex Virus) HSV 2 except for HSV 1, which came up positive.

However, the test used was herpes Select Elisa (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) IgG (Immunoglobulin G), which I read is known to have false positives. My score was 3.3. I read if the score is less than 3.5 then it could be a false positive.

A week later, I retested using herpes Select immunoblot, which is supposed to be more accurate and tested negative for HSV 1 and 2. However, for the past three months, I am having itching in my backside, which could be due to sweat and anxiety. Do I have anything to worry about or trust the latest results that I have no herpes and put this to rest?

Kindly suggest.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The manifestations that you are saying are not of herpes, they normally present as grouped vesicles on an erythematous base. Herpes has an incubation period of five days, it means symptoms would have to develop within five days of infection.

Your tests are absolutely normal and you do not have to worry about it. If you have any vesicular eruption that is extremely painful, then you have a chance of having herpes, so go for Tzanck smear and DFA (direct fluorescent antibody) test for it.

Always indulge yourself in safe sex practices because genital herpes, caused by HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus), is an incurable condition.

Take care.