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Western blot test for herpes8/10/2023 ![]() HSV IgM antibody blood tests are designed to try to identify antibodies from a very recent Herpes outbreak. It can take a longer or shorter amount of time for some. It takes most people at least one month after becoming infected with HSV to develop enough antibodies in their blood for the antibodies to be easily detected by this blood test. The HerpeSelect antibody blood test technology, which looks for HSV IgG antibodies, has a high rate of accuracy in not only detecting HSV antibodies, but also distinguishing between HSV 1 and HSV 2 if there are high enough levels of antibodies for the test to tell them apart. Herpes 1 & 2 Antibody Blood Tests - There are several HSV antibody blood tests, some of which are more accurate than others. The results take about 3-5 working days in most cases. If you have blisters or sores this is considered the best method of testing for HSV. The test can distinguish between HSV 1 and HSV 2 with a very high rate of accuracy. This test is most accurate if it is done as soon after the appearance of a rash of blisters or sores as possible. The lab then grows the culture to look for evidence of HSV. We have seen patients test positive for Herpes without having any symptoms, even many years after becoming infected!Ĭurrently there are three main ways of testing for Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV): Herpes Simplex Virus Culture- This test is done by swabbing a rash or sore during a suspected outbreak with a swab that is sent to a lab in a special viral culture media test tube. If you have any doubts after sex, even if you have NO symptoms, you should test for herpes.If you've had unsafe sex with partners who's sexual past is unknown you should test for herpes.If you have any of the above symptoms after sexual contact with a partner you should test for herpes.Both herpes 1 and herpes 2 can infect any surface area of the body.Itchy painful blisters and sores usually on the penis, vulva, mouth, anus or eye.At first, tingly itchy and sometimes red irritation typically forms on the skin.A healthy immune system will fight back against the infection to help heal the HSV sores. During the outbreak HSV can spread to neighboring skin. HSV sores often take much longer to heal than the average scrape, cut or sore. An HSV outbreak may last anywhere from a couple of days to three weeks or longer. They are usually located under the chin if the HSV outbreak is on the lips or in the groin if the HSV outbreak is on the genitals. Swollen lymph nodes can feel like tender kidney bean shaped bumps beneath the skin. It is common for lymph nodes near the HSV outbreak to swell in response to the infection. The sores are usually itchy and painful forming a thick pale yellow scab over the surface that turns darker and crusty as days pass. The broken blisters cause sores that ooze a clear watery pale yellow fluid, which becomes sticky as it dries. Within a matter of hours, tiny itchy blisters appear which break open, usually within one to two days. HHV 8 has been linked to Kaposi's sarcoma.Īt the beginning of an HSV outbreak a tingly itchy and sometimes red irritation typically forms on the skin. HHV 7 may be associated with periodontal disease. Epstein Barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Human Herpes Viruses (HHV): These are systemic viral infections that travel in the blood stream through out the body causing mono like symptoms and syndromes and are sometimes associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).Herpes varacella zoster: Causes chickenpox and is the same virus that can later cause shingles.Herpes simplex virus (HSV): Causes fever blisters (also called cold sores), and genital herpes.HSV tends to reoccur following periods of stress, excessive sun exposure to any part of the body (not just the part of the body that has the outbreaks), irregular eating and lifestyle habits such as excessive intake of sugar, coffee, alcohol, hot spicy foods, fired foods, manufactured non-food fats such margarine, cigarette smoking and toxic chemical exposure. This is why outbreaks reoccur in the same spot over and over. When it does it travels up the same nerve pathways to the same surface area of the skin causing another outbreak. Once the sores have healed, HSV travels from the nerve endings at the surface down nerve pathways deeper into the body where it lays dormant or inactive in the spinal column. The HSV infection damages the cells causes blisters and sores to form that can take anywhere from several days to several weeks to heal. When a person becomes infected with HSV, the virus enters the skins cells and nerve endings.
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