Herpes Test?

Question

Is there a such thing as a Herpes Test? My doctor said that there isn't. My girlfriend who lives out of town said she had a Herpes test & she has Type 2. I wanted to go get tested in that case & my doctor of internal medicine is saying there is not any such test. My girlfriend said that she had the Western Blot Test and my doctor said it is an Aids test. Is that true and do they really not have a Herpes Test?

Answer 1

There are various tests for diagnosing herpes:

1. Herpes viral culture. - Cells or fluid from a fresh sore are collected with a cotton swab and placed in a culture cup. A viral culture is the most specific method of finding a genital herpes infection.

2. Herpes virus antigen detection test. Cells from a fresh sore are scraped off and then smeared onto a microscope slide. This test finds markers (called antigens) on the surface of cells infected with the herpes virus. This test may be done with or in place of a viral culture.

3. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A PCR test can be done on cells or fluid from a sore or on blood or on other fluid, such as spinal fluid. PCR finds the genetic material (DNA) of the HSV virus. This test can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2. The PCR test is not often done on skin sores, but it is best for testing spinal fluid, for those rare cases in which herpes may cause an infection in or around the brain.

4. Antibody tests. Blood tests can find antibodies that are made by the immune system to fight a herpes infection. Antibody tests are occasionally done but are not as accurate as a viral culture at finding the cause of a specific sore or ulcer. Antibody tests cannot tell the difference between a current active herpes infection and a herpes infection that occurred in the past. Because antibodies take time to develop after the first infection, you may not have a positive antibody test if you have just recently been infected. Some blood tests can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2.

western blot is a test for finding whether a specific antibody is present in the blood. an antibody is a substance that if formed by the body in response to a virus or other disease causing agent. so it can be used for diagnosing any viral disease, although it is commonly used for testing AIDS.

hope this helps

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes the test your girlfriend got is a Aids test but it is also used as a test for Herpes.
Western Blot technology is the Gold Standard for detection of antibodies to viruses. It is what is used as a final test for HIV infections and is the gold standard also for Herpes infections. Whereas ELISA testing measures antibody to whole virus and gives a "positive," "negative" or indeterminate test result, Western Blotting is a more specific test. It allows one to visualize antibodies directed against each viral protein. For this reason, it is used as a confirmatory test for a positive HIV or Herpes ELISA. In Western blotting, proteins are faced with the passage of electrical current (electrophoresed) into a gel. As the proteins migrate through the gel they are separated based upon size and charge. Characteristically, smaller proteins migrate through the gel faster than larger proteins The separated proteins are then transferred to a solid membrane for Western Blot analysis. If you don't have any symptoms they can give you a blood test.
There are several different types of test
Viral Culture
Serologic tests (Blood tests)
Antigen Tests
http://www.globalherbalsupplies.com/herpes/diagnosis.html

Most Herpes you can tell by looking at the outbreak (sore) and where its located and know its herpes ( Herpes can be in or on your Genitals or mouth). Doctors must test for a positive diognosis.
http://www.herpesdiagnosis.com/diagnose.html

They can test the outbreak by taking a sample of the outbreak(sore) Cells or liquid and Laboratory tests can be used to detect the virus directly from skin lesions. A swab is rubbed over the sore and the material on the swab is sent for one of several tests called culture, FA, or PCR.from one of the sores will be tested in the lab for the virus.

And be aware Cold sores are caused by a related virus that can infect the genitals from oral sex.

Answer 5

I had blood drawn for std's, which includes herpes through my dr., i've had no symptoms of hsv-2 and if i hadn't had the blood test still wouldn't know, so there is a test and from what i've read they test for certain antibodies but may not be able to tell when you contracted it, but if you test positive for the antibodies you have the virus

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Theres is absolutely a test for Herpes .

Your doc probably wouldn't take my word for it, so show him/her
this:

http://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/herpes-tests

http://www.herpesonline.org/herpes_testing.html

Get checked out!! Good luck :)

Answer 8

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Answer 9

As far as I know they can swab herpes and establish whether it is one or two. Could be wrong though.

Answer 10

herpes 2,IgG,IgM....ask doc to order these blood tests