[Bartholemewstout]

Yes, it was determined to be hsv2 and the person who I acquired it from is known to have ghsv2. Is there much difference between a whitlow that is caused by hsv1 versus hsv2 in terms of severity or recurrence?

[Bartholemewstout]

Hi Terri,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I was diagnosed with Whitlow after they took a culture swab of the sore on my finger and sent it in to a lab. As for the outbreak, it began about 2-4 days after the encounter, and I definitely didn’t have any symptoms in my genitals or oral areas even up to 20 days after the whitlow outbreak (I checked thoroughly).

One last question I hope you can answer is:

Can I be sure that I did not have hsv2 prior to my whitlow diagnosis in mid-May if I had tested negative on 4 antibody tests (I believe they were IgG) between March 2022 and May 2022?

Thank you for all your help and expertise.

Best,
Bartholemew

[Bartholemewstout]

Hi Terri,

Thanks for answering my initial questions. I’m hoping you can clear up a few follow-up questions I have.

1) You mentioned that there is “probably not” a chance for the virus to get out through my fingers even if there are hangnails (or cuticle wounds etc.). Does that mean it is not probable but still possible? From what I have read (including from your blogs), Herpetic whitlow does not shed when there are no visible sores. If it is not probable, but still possible, could you describe for me a situation where it might be able to get out even without visible sores?

2) Regarding question 2 on my prior post, your response suggests to me that if I did not suffer any oral or genital outbreak 2-10 days after my whitlow contraction then I can be confident it will not pop up there in the future. Is that right? There was genital sex
involved in the contact that gave me the whitlow, but protection was used.

3) Can the virus migrate to another site (i.e. genital or mouth region) other than the initial outbreak site through my nervous system? Or can it migrate through skin to skin contact only?

Thanks Terri,
Bartholemew

[Bartholemewstout]

Hi Terri,

Thanks for answering my initial questions. I’m hoping you could clear up a few follow-up questions I have.

1) You mentioned that there is “probably not” a chance for the virus to get out through my fingers even if there are hangnails (or cuticle wounds etc.). Does that mean it is not probable but still possible? From what I have read (including from your expertise), Herpetic whitlow does not shed when there are no visible sores. If it is not probable, but still possible, could you describe for me a situation where it might be able to get out even without visible sores?

2) Regarding question 2 on my prior post, your response suggests to me that if I did not suffer any oral or genital outbreak 2-10 days after my whitlow contraction then I can be confident it will not pop up there in the future. Is that right? There was genital sex
involved in the contact that gave me the whitlow, but protection was used.

3) Can the virus migrate to another site (i.e. genital or mouth region) other than the initial outbreak site through my nervous system? Or can it migrate through skin to skin contact only?

Thanks Terri,
Bartholemew

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