HSV1 Symptoms on lips and tongue but Tests Say Different

[Robert32]

Terri-
Hope you are doing well and thank you for this site! As I’m sure everyone says…my situation is a little different. About 5 years ago I contracted HSV2 genitally and tested for both HSV1 and HSV2. HSV1 came back negative and 2 positive of course. A couple years ago I kissed a girl for a while and for the next couple of weeks experienced tingling and pain in my lips and tongue. I tested 3 months later and again it was negative for HSV1 and positive for 2. I have had multiple breakouts for HSV2 genitally but have never experienced a breakout on my lips or tongue. I did that testing at Planned Parenthood but was not sure what test they used. The results were less than .91 for HSV1 and 3.55 for HSV2. Fast forward a year and I tested again for both but this time I used my own lab request and used the IGG differentiation test. The results were HSV1 less than .2 and HSV2 greater than 8. I’m experiencing symptoms again and again this has come after kissing a different girl. My questions are below and thank you so much for your time!
1. Does HSV2 protect against HSV1? (I’ve read that HSV1 has partial protection against HSV2 but not sure if HSV2 does against HSV1).
2. If I got HSV1 would it show on the test?
3. Would my antibodies to HSV2 be masking the HSV1 antibodies? Or will my body create separate antibodies for HSV1?
4. If I had HSV2 orally also would it be possible to still contract HSV1?
5. What could be causing the tingling if it’s not from herpes? Has anyone on this site had the same issue?

Thank you and I look forward to your responses!

[Terri Warren]

1. Does HSV2 protect against HSV1? (I’ve read that HSV1 has partial protection against HSV2 but not sure if HSV2 does against HSV1).

Yes, HSV 2 does protect against HSV 1 infection

2. If I got HSV1 would it show on the test?

Not necessarily. The screening test for HSV 1 misses one out of 4 HSV 1 infections. The western blot is far better at picking up infection.

3. Would my antibodies to HSV2 be masking the HSV1 antibodies? Or will my body create separate antibodies for HSV1?
Your body would create HSV 1 antibodies, but not all are detected by this particular test.

4. If I had HSV2 orally also would it be possible to still contract HSV1?
No, because HSV 2 protected against HSV 1 acquisition.

5. What could be causing the tingling if it’s not from herpes? Has anyone on this site had the same issue?

I’m not sure what that might be unless your antibody test is missing an HSV 1 infection, which is a possibility as I described.

terri

[Robert32]

Thank you so much for your responses! I have a couple follow up questions.

1. Sounds like HSV2 protects against HSV1 acquisition. So with the multiple negative tests and having HSV2 can I safely say I don’t have HSV1? Sounds like the probability is really low.
2. Does HSV2 protect against HSV1 even if it’s not in the same location i.e. genitally vs orally
3. I currently take acyclovir and get it pretty cheap through planned parenthood. Is Valtrex or Famvir better? Acyclovir seems to be working okay but I did have a breakout while taking it. A specialist would be very beneficial to speak to but I don’t know where to go or who to see?

Thank you in advance for your responses!

[Terri Warren]

1. Sounds like HSV2 protects against HSV1 acquisition. So with the multiple negative tests and having HSV2 can I safely say I don’t have HSV1? Sounds like the probability is really low.

The screening test for HSV 1 misses 25% of infections so I can’t say for sure you don’t have HSV 1
2. Does HSV2 protect against HSV1 even if it’s not in the same location i.e. genitally vs orally

Yes

3. I currently take acyclovir and get it pretty cheap through planned parenthood. Is Valtrex or Famvir better? Acyclovir seems to be working okay but I did have a breakout while taking it. A specialist would be very beneficial to speak to but I don’t know where to go or who to see?

Acyclovir 400 mg twice a day is the recommended dose for daily therapy. But no medicine is perfect so don’t be too disappointed if you have an outbreak. Valtrex is nice because it is once a day but it doesn’t work better.

Terri

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Terri Warren.

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