Herpes and Genital Warts Forum - How Do I Know I Have Hsv Type 1? Red Pimple on Face

Conditions and Diseases > Herpes and Genital Warts Forum > How Do I Know I Have Hsv Type 1? Red Pimple on Face

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Q: How Do I Know I Have Hsv Type 1? Red Pimple on Face

asked by: danix4646 on October 29th, 2007

New User

Dear Doctor,

I have went for blood test to check for HSV1 and below were the results.

SEROLOGY

TEST RESULT REFERENCES RANGE

HSV Ab IgG 0.87 <1.0

HSV Ab IgM 0.29 <1.0

From the results above do you think I have HSV1, I have sometimes a red pimple on my face that last for three-1 week. I went to a doctor and showed my blood results to him then he said I don't have HSV1, but when I had that pimple he came back to me and told me you have HSV1, I don't know which one to believe, the blood results or the doctor, my fiance is scared to kiss me or let me do oral sex to him because he is scared to get infected. if me and him we have HSV1 will we spread the diseases on our genitals?

Can you please help.

Replies(1)

Dr. Nikola

replied on May 27th, 2008

Doctor

Serology tests are not accurate to confirm if some skin lesion is due to HSV-infection or not. They can only tell us if you have ever been or not infected with HSV. Even if the test is positive you can't be sure if some skin lesion is due to HSV-infection. When there is some skin or mucosal lesion there are much more accurate tests that can confirm or exclude presence of HSV: culture of the virus, direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) studies to detect virus, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to test for presence of viral DNA. Unfortunately these tests are expensive and slow and therefore not very practical.
Can you afford some of these tests?

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