If you are experiencing anything that seems like herpes symptoms, or suspect that you may have been with a sexual partner infected with genital herpes (the HSV-2 virus), it is imperative that you see a physician and undergo a test for herpes. Many herpes symptoms can be misdiagnosed or overlooked altogether unless a test is performed, and many physicians consider administering a herpes test only if sores are present in the genital region. For these reasons, you must make it clear to your doctor that you want to be given a test for herpes – not just have your symptoms evaluated.
There are three primary methods of administering the test for herpes, and while the decision on which one to use will likely be made by your doctor, it’s helpful for the patient to understand the unique aspects of each.
Taking a Culture
This test is often given to patients who are displaying fresh blisters or ulcers at the time of the office visit. It involves using a cotton swab to collect fluid from a sore, and then placing the sample in a culture cup for microscopic analysis. While this is considered by many physicians to be the most effective test for herpes, it is not 100% effective, and has been known to produce a high number of false-negative results (i.e., the culture fails to find the virus even in cases where the individual is infected).
Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test
Administering this test requires the physician to take a sample of bodily fluid from the patient. This sample is usually in the form of blood or fluid from an open sore, but can also be taken from spinal fluid, making it highly effective in detecting the genital herpes virus. By identifying the HSV-2 virus DNA in the genetic material sample, the PCR test is also able to accurately determine whether the patient is infected with HSV-2 (genital herpes) or HSV-1 – the virus that causes cold sores and can be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex.
Taking a blood sample
While culture and PCR tests are usually administered when a patient is exhibiting blisters, ulcers and other visible signs of a genital herpes outbreak, a blood test for herpes can detect the virus in those who show no outward symptoms of infection. By locating HSV-2 (genital herpes) antibodies in the patient’s blood sample, the physician can determine that the infection is present even in individuals who have never had an outbreak. The biggest drawback to this test for herpes is that, because antibodies to the virus do not appear in the body until several weeks after the primary infection, it is possible to receive a false-negative result in recently infected patients.
Regardless of which test for herpes is administered by your health care provider, only by getting yourself checked can you be sure about whether or not you are carrying the virus. There is no cure for genital herpes, but early identification and treatment can reduce the recurrence and severity of your future outbreaks. Needless to say, it is also crucial to protecting your sexual partner(s) from infection.