test results clarification

[pennylane]

Hello and thank you for all you do, this forum has been a great source for information,

I got my test results back and Im confused about the reference range and my result. The reference range says 0.00-0.90 but my result is <0.91…. the number 0.91 is higher than the reference range of 0.90? My doctor did not state anything about it being equivocal. My husband got his results back 2 days later and his result said that exact same thing <0.91 with a reference range of 0.00-0.91. What does the (<) symbol stand for, does it mean “negative”?

Test Name Results Units Reference Range
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Ab.IgG, Serum Semi-Quantitative <0.91 Index 0.00-0.90
Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Ab.IgG, Serum Semi-Quantitative <0.91 Index 0.00-0.90

Thank you!

[Terri Warren]

That symbol means “less than” so you are both in the negative range. Yippee!

Terri

[pennylane]

Hello.

I have transmission questions in regards to my 11 month old. My husband and I have tested negative for both HSV 1 & 2, but my mom has HSV 1. My concern is that I am going home to visit and I’m worried about my daughter getting infected.

1. I know about the refraining from kissing on the mouth area when a blister is present but what is the likelihood of transmission when no blister is present when they are playing and her hands touches my mothers mouth or kisses?

2. Do i need to keep my daughter from not touching my mothers face, blister or not, at all times?

3. Do i need to just prohibit kissing all together between mother and daughter?

4. Should I be concerned about my daughter getting HSV 1 genitally if my mom changes her diaper? even if she doesnt wash her hands? blister present or not present.

5. We use cloth diapers so they are washed and reused, is there any risk in cloth diaper use? If they are washed in mothers washer and dryer that she has used to wash her towels previously, will diapers get infected if virus was on towels in previous wash?

6. Bottles? If my mom feeds her a bottle and she didn’t wash her hands and the virus got on the bottle and then my daughter touches the bottle and then her mouth, can it be transmitted this way?

7. If my daughter was to get oral herpes and she touches her mouth, blister or no blister, and then touches her genitals during diaper changes what is the likelihood of transmission to genitals? Is there any statistics on this particular transmission as this is the one that terrifies me the most.

I have been seeing a therapist over anxiety of this and have been diagnosed with post partum anxiety /OCD so dealing with the thought of my daughter getting this is has been difficult.

Thank you for your time

[Terri Warren]

1. I know about the refraining from kissing on the mouth area when a blister is present but what is the likelihood of transmission when no blister is present when they are playing and her hands touches my mothers mouth or kisses?

That is not a worry at all

2. Do i need to keep my daughter from not touching my mothers face, blister or not, at all times?

absolutely not and I think keeping your daughter from touching your mom’s face would be not good for their relationship

3. Do i need to just prohibit kissing all together between mother and daughter?

No!

4. Should I be concerned about my daughter getting HSV 1 genitally if my mom changes her diaper? even if she doesnt wash her hands? blister present or not present.

No, not at all.

5. We use cloth diapers so they are washed and reused, is there any risk in cloth diaper use? If they are washed in mothers washer and dryer that she has used to wash her towels previously, will diapers get infected if virus was on towels in previous wash?

Again no worries at all here.

6. Bottles? If my mom feeds her a bottle and she didn’t wash her hands and the virus got on the bottle and then my daughter touches the bottle and then her mouth, can it be transmitted this way?

No

7. If my daughter was to get oral herpes and she touches her mouth, blister or no blister, and then touches her genitals during diaper changes what is the likelihood of transmission to genitals? Is there any statistics on this particular transmission as this is the one that terrifies me the most.

There are no statistics on that, probably because it doesn’t happen. We believe that once a person has a type of herpes in one location, they will not get it in a new location after an immune response has been mounted. That means if by some other means your daughter gets HSV 1 orally, during the first four months or so afterwards, you should be careful about her touching a cold sore and touching her genitals. But I do not believe that she is at risk from your mom.

I have been seeing a therapist over anxiety of this and have been diagnosed with post partum anxiety /OCD so dealing with the thought of my daughter getting this is has been difficult.

I can tell that this is a very challenging issue for you and I must say, you are not the only person who has posted on this forum who is recently post partum and has OCD concerns around this issue. good for you for seeing a therapist and working on this. There will come a time in the not too distant future when I think you will look back on this and wonder what all the worry was about. For now, keep reminding yourself that all of this is extremely unlikely and that in time, this fear will pass.

Terri

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