Herpes culture

A herpes culture is a test performed in a microbiology or virology lab, where they use a swab from a suspicious area and try to "grow out" the herpes virus. This kind of test is notoriously inacurate- and a negative viral culture should not be taken as proof that you don't have the herpes virus. It should be followed up with blood testing to confirm that you have not been exposed to herpes.