Just had a HSV blood test. Results confusing and dont make sense.

[curtinmd]

Just had a HSV blood test.  Results confusing and dont make sense.  I requested my Doctor run a STD panel during my annual physical.  My test for HSV came back as 

Herpes I Ab.(IgG) 0.17 (Negative)      Herpes II Ab.(IgG) 4.08 (High)

I was very surprised by the results.  I have never had a genital outbreak that was obvious.  I do get what I guess would be cold sores inside my mouth on very rare occurrences.  Maybe once a year at most.  My wife get cold sores inside mouth more frequently then I do but nothing in the genital area as well.

So the results are the reverse of what I would assume.  I would assume positive of HSV1 and negative for HSV 2.  So i guess the way to interrupt this would be I have HSV 2 infection in the oral area and not in the genital region?

Very upsetting to say the least. Really dont want to imagine I have HSV 2 on genital.  Wish my Doctor would not have run the HSV test actually.  Would have been better off not knowing mentally I think.

Does anyone know the percentage of people who have HSV 2 that are asymptomatic?  With HSV 2 can you be asymptomatic in genital regions and have symptoms in oral region on rare occasion as I do? 

So what are the chances of a false positive with these numbers? 

Anyway thanks for help and look forward to your advice.

[curtinmd]

No comments for me.  Thats not very helpful! lol  Look forward to anyone's advice

[DoesntDefineMe]

Hey there! So it seems to me that your levels are pretty low. From what I’ve read and with speaking to a few doctors, you may want to get a western blot. Your results could have been a false positive. Especially since you are married. 

[VhYolo]

Cold sores are usually on the outside of the mouth/on the lips... is there any chance you're thinking of canker sores? Canker sores are not HSV. 

 

I think you should retest or just go straight to the Western Blot. 

[akirn]

I had a very similar experience to this! So I was swabbed positive for GHSV-1 about two years ago from a lesion I thought was strange. My first blood test was taken soon after, and came back negative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 (we figured it was just because it was a new infection). Last year, I had routine blood work done again, and it once again came up in the "equivocal" range for HSV-1, and my HSV-2 came up with a positive IgG of 5. I'm very confused by this, as with a swab coming back positive for HSV-1, I figured my IgG should reflect that? I'm wondering what the probability for a false positive is on my HSV-2 result. So confusing!!

[nobody555]

I think the sore inside your mouth are cankersores not herpes. They are very different. cankersores happen to anyone due to stress, mouth trauma, or too much acidity. 

 

It's possible that you are HSV2 positive with no symptoms. HSV2 does not usually take place in the mouth. Its usually only genital but I have heard of people having HSV2 orally its just super rare.