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Herpes Testing
This page can
be your own personal cliff notes and cheat sheet to
proper herpes testing. Pick up your telephone, call your health care
provider and start asking questions.
There are four highly accurate type specific
antibody tests currently available: Biokit HSV-2 Rapid Test,
HerpeSelect, CAPITA HSV IgG Type Specific ELISAs and the Herpes Specific
Western Blot which is primarily used for herpes research purposes.
The
next time somebody tells you that they have been tested you might want
to think twice about that because herpes is not included in the routine
std testing process! When you love someone it's ok to make a date to go
and get tested together. It's not a bad idea to know what you are
dealing with from both sides of the relationship.
Sometimes I think
people that have herpes forget that their health is still just as
important as their partner's health. If you are bold enough to get nude
then you can be bold and brave enough to talk about STDS before you
have sex...right?
Biokit HSV-2 Rapid Test:
Manufactured by biokit USA, also available from Fisher HealthCare as Sure-Vue HSV-2 Rapid Test, FDA-approved for commercial use in 1999,
detects antibodies to HSV-2 only (will not identify HSV-1), blood collected by a finger-prick or from a vein,
results available in
10 minutes or less, formerly
manufactured by Diagnology under the name POCkit, for more information
please visit:
biokit.com and
fishersci.com.
CAPTIA HSV IgG Type Specific ELISAs:
Manufactured by Trinity Biotech, FDA approved for commercial use in
2004, can detect HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies, blood is drawn and sent to
laboratory for processing, results take 1 to 2 weeks, for more
information please visit: trinitybiotach.com.
HerpeSelect (ELISA and Immunoblot Kits):
Manufactured by Focus Diagnostics, Inc., FDA approved for commercial use
in 2000, two antibody detection methods available (Immunoblot or ELISA),
can detect HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies, blood drawn and sent to
laboratory for processing, results take 1 to 2 weeks, for more
information please visit: herpeselect.com.
The Herpes Specific
Western Blot test is a blood test that is used for herpes research at
the University of Washington in Washington State.
However, it is
possible to have a Herpes Specific Western Blot test done in order to
find out if you have type-1, type-2, both or nothing at all. Your health
care provider can make arrangements with the lab at the University of
Washington to have this test done for you.
Reference Test:
Western blot. To get a Western blot directly from the UW laboratory,
have your provider call the toll free number found on their site.
The
UW laboratory personnel will send out special forms and a special mailing tube. The
forms must be completed including billing information. When this
material arrives in the health care provider's office, have your blood
drawn and processed so that the serum can be sent. It can be
mailed in a special pack. Once the serum arrives in the laboratory,
Western Blot takes about 4-5 days. About 1 in 5 samples requires further
testing, which requires an additional 5-7 days. The test results must go
to a health care provider. The results will be mailed or faxed back to
your provider. When it comes to deciphering your test results THAT is
who you should be talking to.
The antiviral
medication valacyclovir, when taken suppressively, has been shown to
reduce the risk of transmission.
In a 2004 study among persons with a
history of recurrent genital herpes, taking valacyclovir daily reduced
the risk of transmission to a partner by 50%. Accordingly, the FDA has
now approved valacyclovir for this indication.
Do not go for HSV IgM Testing
Herpes Awareness |
