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Farmingdale, NY
A 50-year-old female asked:

Can someone with genital herpes have a western blot when there's no outbreak?ive had hsv1 on mouth many times,blood test said hsv2 1.25 & hsv1 5.0

2 doctor answers3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Ed Friedlander
Pathology 46 years experience
Of course: These serologic tests tell you nothing about whether you ever have outbreaks. Many of us question their value except in confirming clinical suspicion of active or episodic infection.
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Dr. Claude Parola
Internal Medicine 42 years experience
HSV western blot: A western blot is perform to confirm an ELISA positive test ( antibody detection). When an antibody is detected , it doesn't tell 100% of the time if it is because of HSV or from any other virus, so to determine if it is due to HSV for example, certain protein from a known sample of HSV is made to react with the antibody detected to see if it is from HSV or not, active infection isn't necessary
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Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
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Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
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A 20-year-old female asked:
I had an IGG serology test that came back positive for HSV1 & negative for HSV2.How can I find out if its oral or genital?I've never had an outbreak.
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Dr. Al Hegabanswered
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Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 40-year-old male asked:
Doctor. Can Genital Herpes-HSV2 Be Contacted in other ways,Apart from Sex,Oral Sex or Kissing. Can a Virgin Male Contact Hsv2 by just shaking, touching or Bodily Contact .Symptoms similar to Genital herpes but IGG Test Negative for both HSV1 and 2?
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Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Hunter Handsfield
Infectious Disease 55 years experience
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A 48-year-old female asked:
I recently got a Herpes QN Real time PCR test through Quest Diagnostics in my town. (blood draw) the results came back <100 for both hsv1 & hsv2. Wh?
Dr. Brad Douglas
Obstetrics and Gynecology 26 years experience
Need a culture: HSV blood tests are not ways to test for CURRENT infections Need cultures of an active infection Please contact for a consult to discuss more
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Last updated Sep 29, 2016

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