False Positive HSV 2 ???

[WorriedDecember]

Hello!

I’m a 22 year old female. I have only had 3 sexual partners my old entire life. My first partner was back in Nov 2013. We had sex around 3 times. Once was unprotected and that the only time I ever had unprotected sex. My second partner was in May 2014 and we only had sex once. Then I wasn’t sexually active until my current partner now. We first had sex in May 2015. I decided to get tested because of a friend of mine. But when I got my results back I was shocked. I was negative for everything except HSV 1 & HSV 2. I have an 2.48 IGG FOR HSV 1 and 1.12 IGG for HSV 2. I immediately was told to wait 3 months to get another test by the lab consultant. I told my current partner to get tested. He did and his results all came back negative. Seeing that it couldn’t be from him I decided to go to my gyno and get tested from her but she told me it’s not worth it because my first test said I’m positive and there’s no way in knowing I actually have the virus until my first outbreak.

i have never had any cold sores or symptoms. I’ve gotten sick a couple times last year due to weak immune system but no lesions below the belt. I do have occasional canker sores if that counts?

Anyways given my circumstances, is it possible I have a false positive? My current partner doesn’t have it and I took a year off sex before I met him. My other 2 partners I don’t talk to anymore but if it were from either of them wouldn’t I have known by now or my index value be at least higher since I’ve had sex with them well over 2 years ago so I would’ve built up the antibodies?

Please let me know I’m really trying to understand what’s going on? I don’t want to pass it to my current partner and have to worry about getting an outbreak when I want to start having children.

[Terri Warren]

Are you concerned about both your HSV 1 and HSV 2? You’ve never in your life had a cold sore on your lip? Your HSV 2 has an 85% chance of being a false positive but only a western blot can help you clarify that for sure, though I would bet lots of money your HSV 2 is a false positive. But the HSV 1 is likely to confirm by western blot. The western blot routinely looks for both. Our clinic can order that test for you and I think it is essential that you confirm given your lack of risky sexual history.

Terri

[WorriedDecember]

I have never had a cold sore. I’ve only had canker sores inside my mouth. I do have an occasional itch and dry skin around my anal area. Is that a symptom? Yes I’m really concerned about both seeing as though I’m very low risk.

HSV2 is a bigger worry for me because I don’t want to pass it to my current partner now. Both of my 2 partners in the pass didn’t display any symptoms. And if it’s possible that i contracted it from them by practicing safe sex, I don’t know how to go about it with my current partner and keeping him safe.

I got tested again and I’m waiting for the results but if it does come back with a low positive again, what do I do ?! Does this mean I have it? It’s been 2 years since I had sex with the 2 likely people I could’ve gotten it from, shouldn’t my initial index value have been higher? How do I got about getting the Western Blot ?

[Terri Warren]

I my experience, one a person has a low positive, they often have it again. There can be a cellular protein artificially tripping the test and it does it again and again. And yes, most people who have a low positive from recent infection do go higher, but a few, maybe 15%, stay low forever.
Our clinic can order the western blot to be drawn at a lab near you and shipped to UW. It’s pretty easy, actually. This particular test cannot be ordered through routine labs directly.

Terri

[WorriedDecember]

1) Would I be considered a recent infection if my likely encounter was over 2 years ago?
2) Would dry itchy skin around my anal area be a symptom?
3) Does smoking a cigarette and taking vitamins before my test affect my results?
4) I’m supposed to get my second test results back this week but if it is a low positive again, I want to DEFINITELY order the western blot through you! How do I set that up?

[Terri Warren]

No. If the only encounter at which you could have acquired the virus was 2 years ago then that would not be a recent infection.
I don’t think so necessarily.
no
Our clinic can set up the western blot for you to be drawn at a lab near where you live. Please set up an appointment for a phone consultation if we can help you with that.

Terri

[WorriedDecember]

Hey Terri!

I have great news. My test results just came back today both negative -> HSV 1 IGG 0.57 and HSV 2 0.13

How is this possible? Should I just stick to these results ? I’ve never had symptoms of either and given my sexual history, these results make more sense for me. What do you think?

[Terri Warren]

I think you can relax about the HSV 2, but the test is still poor for HSV 1 and if you really want to know about the HSV 1, the western blot is far better.

Terri

[WorriedDecember]

So it’s safe to say I don’t have HSV 2 ? How could my numbers have change that drastically? Just trying to understand this. Thanks for all your help.

[Terri Warren]

The difference between your two scores is not that significant, is you just do the math between 1.12 and0.57. The issue you are perceiving, I think, is the difference between positive and negative. Your first score was just BARELY over the positive mark (the cutoff is 1.1). The odds are most definitely in the favor of you not having HSV 2 as your index value went down. If you want more certainty, the western blot is the way to go.

Terri

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