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I received an equivocal result on Quest Diagnostics’ HSV 2 IGG, TYPE SPECIFIC AB test of 1.05 H. Equivocal range for this test is .90-1.09. I had not had any type of sexual contact for at least one year before taking this test. I assumed this test result reflected that I was not positive for HSV 2 (consistent with the information on this forum/website). I now have a sexual partner who is HSV 2 negative. I decided to do the Western Blot test at the University of Washington to definitively confirm my negative HSV 2 status, and much to my surprise it came back positive for HSV 2. The Western Blot test results do not provide any numerical value for the result. It just says positive. I called the U of W and they said this is because the Western Blot is a qualitative test and not a quantitative test.
Here are my questions:
How do I reconcile my Quest Diagnostics quantitative test result with my Western Blot qualitative test rest? For example, does my low 1.05 H quantitative test number reflect that although I’m positive on the Western Blot, I have a lower level positive status and a lower chance of asymptotically shedding the virus and infecting another person?
Should I do another Western Blot test and/or Quest Diagnostics test? I assume that like any test, the Western Blot is sometimes wrong. (I don’t mind spending the money, and don’t want to leave any stone unturned.)
What is your view on the chance of there being a vaccine for HSV 2 in the near future? (I read that Moderna and BioNTech have vaccines in trials right now).
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How do I reconcile my Quest Diagnostics quantitative test result with my Western Blot qualitative test rest? For example, does my low 1.05 H quantitative test number reflect that although I’m positive on the Western Blot, I have a lower level positive status and a lower chance of asymptotically shedding the virus and infecting another person?
There is no need to reconcile your Quest results with the western blot results. You are infected with HSV 2 because there are no false positives on the western blot. The Quest tests are unreliable both with false positive and false negatives -this has been very well documented in the scientific literature. The index values also have no indication about frequency of viral shedding or the risk of transmission.
Should I do another Western Blot test and/or Quest Diagnostics test? I assume that like any test, the Western Blot is sometimes wrong. (I don’t mind spending the money, and don’t want to leave any stone unturned.)
No, the western blot is not sometimes wrong. Where the IgG test relies upon a single antibody protein to decide its results, the western blot requires that four of the 16 antibody proteins associated with HSV 2 be present to call it positive.
What is your view on the chance of there being a vaccine for HSV 2 in the near future? (I read that Moderna and BioNTech have vaccines in trials right now).
I think we’ll just have to wait and see about the vaccine trials. We all have our fingers crossed for it’s success, but having been the investigator on four trials that failed, I’m skeptical but hopeful.
Terrk
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I assume that your female partner tested negative? Condoms reduce transmission from males to females by 96%, and if you take daily antiviral medicine, like valacyclovir 500 mg once a day, that reduces transmission by almost half. So the likelihood of you infecting this partner if you do both things is very low indeed. How long have you been together having sex already?
Terri
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We have no data on the risk of transmission to the mouth of someone by giving oral sex to a person with confirmed HSV to genitally.
The risk of transmission to your partner, having sex about twice a week, with no condoms but taking antiviral medicine, it’s probably about 5% per year.
Terri
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