Hi. We've closed our expert forums and hope you feel relieved from the answer you've gotten here. Best of luck to you.
I would get a western blot as I'm never one to accept a positive results that's close, especially when you had a negative biokit.
The chances are good you indeed have hsv2 but you will feel better getting a western blot.
Hsv2 igg of 4.28 is firmly in the positive range so I would think your assessment of it 90% accurate is spot on.
The low hsv1 can be three things and it can get confusing why. It could be a low false positive. It could be a recent infection or it could be a long standing infection. Here is where the water gets muddy.
Hsv1 igg blood tests are not the greatest. It can miss up to 30% of infections. Sometimes it has a hard time seeing the antibodies from a long standing infection or there are few antibodies from a recent infection.
Hi there, just hoping you can help me out with my last follow up questions. Thanks so much!!! You are much appreciated!
You are welcome. I'm not a medical professional. Just a guy that had a scare and made it a point to do my own research. That went way overboard.lol I ended up corresponding with many of the top experts and even got quite the education from the techs at the University of Washington. Where the western blot is performed. The key is weeding out general misinformation or symptoms taken out of context. Life360Dave on this and the std forum was a guy who helped me out greatly. A wealth of good information and knowledge.
I was so impressed that someone who isn't being paid would dedicate his time and knowledge to helping folks like me that I decided to learn as much as I could and pay it forward. So after a while medhelp asked me to be a community leader and here I am. Lol
I would take it whenever it's convenient. Anything 3.5 and under is suspect for a false positive. Think of the numeric value as a confidence number. The higher the number the more sure the test is that it saw the antibodies. Ifor your next igg test is over 3.5 then I would be inclined to believe it's hsv2.
I understand your frustration on this and while hsv1 2 and shingles all respond to the same meds it doesn't mean they act the same or should be treated the same. Ugh!!
It's a shame most Dr's are not up to speed on hsv and testing. Not type specific testing a positive sample is just stupid. Could have given you the answer and saved you all this trouble.
The 4.28 on the igg test is usually a conclusive positive value. Then again testing negative on the biokit is odd. I would either get another igg test and see what happens or contact the university of Washington and have them send you a western blot test kit. Have your Dr draw the blood and send it back. The western blot is the gold standard in hsv testing and is very thorough.
To make the dates easier....
2/16/15 HSV1: equivocal HSV2: neg
7/8/15 HSV1: positive HSV2: neg
Partner unknown status 8/15-11/15 (protection 5 times, no protection 3 times)
New partner starting 5/26/15 (protection 100%)
6/22/16 HSV1: pos HSV2: neg
7/22/16 culture pos for HSV (not typed)
8/24/16 HSV: pos HSV2: neg
12/7/15 HSV 1.13 HSV2: 4.28
12/8/15 Biokit for HSV2: neg
Never had blisters again. Only pimple like bumps on buttocks, low back, thighs but MD says it's not herpes on visual exam.