Low Positive Of 1.98 for HSV2

[Mango124]

So I went and got tested for HSV 1 & 2. My results came back positive for HSV2 with a 1.98  on IGG with Labcorp. They did not do a supplemental test on me due to lack of reagents and test material and I am freaking out. I’ve never had any symptoms and I’ve been with the same person for 5 years. Could this be a false positive? Someone help. Please.

[auntiejessi]

Yes, it absolutely could be a false positive. What made you test? You don't seem like a candidate for testing.

Anything below a 3.5 has at least a 50% chance of being a false positive, and the lower the number, the higher the chance. That's probably about a 70% chance of being a false positive.

Without knowing why you tested, it's a bit hard for me to suggest your next steps.

If it was just suggested to you as part of an annual exam by your doc, you can get a Western Blot test to confirm. Your doctor can order this, or you can get it yourself through Terri Warren, a nurse practitioner - https://westoverheights.com/getting-a-herpes-western-blot/

If you do it yourself, be warned - it is expensive, like in the several hundred dollar range, all told.

If you tested because you are concerned your partner went outside the relationship or something, and you are worried you have a new infection, you can take another IgG test in several weeks, depending on the timing of it all.

What was your hsv1 result?

The reason the test has false positives is that the test doesn't actually look for antibodies, but for things in the blood that have similar molecular weights as hsv2 antibodies. It can pick up normal blood proteins with similar weights, and sometimes hsv1 antibodies can be picked up.

So don't freak. Take a breath, and I'll help you get through this. Whatever happens, I promise you'll be okay.

[Mango124]

It was suggested by my doctor when I told her I wanted to do just a regular STI screening like I do every year. This is the first year she’s ever tested me for HSV. My HSV1 was <0.91.

[auntiejessi]

My guess is that this is a false positive. You can do another IgG test, and see what it says, or you can ask your doctor to do a Western Blot test.

Your doctor may not know about this, so be prepared to do some education.

You can show your doctor this:

"Because of the poor specificity of commercially available type-specific EIAs, particularly with low index values (<3.0), a confirmatory test (Biokit or Western blot) with a second method should be performed before test interpretation. Use of confirmatory testing with the Biokit or the Western blot assays have been reported to improve accuracy of HSV-2 serologic testing (459). The HerpeSelect HSV-2 immunoblot should not be used for confirmation because it uses the same antigen as the HSV-2 EIA. "

https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm#

This is from the CDC's STI Treatment Guidelines. If your doctor is diagnosing and treating STIs, this should be familiar to them, but probably isn't. It's the standard of care for STIs.

If you have insurance, your insurance may cover the WB. It's different for every insurance, though, and I can't address that.

[Mango124]

Thank you so much!

[auntiejessi]

You're welcome. Let me know what happens, okay?

[Mango124]

Does it matter if it was IGG type spec?

[auntiejessi]

Yes. If you had a combined test, I'd tell you that you wouldn't know if you had hsv1, OR hsv2 OR both. I'd suggest that you get a type specific test to find out.

[Mango124]

It was one test for each

[auntiejessi]

That's type specific.

You can read more about this in the Herpes Handbook - https://westoverheights.com/herpes/the-updated-herpes-handbook/

I'm going to be away from my computer for a few weeks, but I'll check back in when I return. In the meantime, you're going to be okay.