What do the levels of herpes antibodies when tested mean?

[clevernamehere917]

I just got diagnosed with HSV-2 yesterday. Never had an outbreak, lesion or noticeable symptoms and I know I've had it for at least a year and a half now. I have already had HSV-1 for the last 8 years although I have never had a cold sore either. My doctor said my IgG antibody level indicates I may never have an HSV-2 outbreak. While I don't doubt that is possible based on my history with HSV-1 I am having trouble believing that it has anything to do with the level of antibodies in my system.

 

That said, my serum IgG for type 1 was 37.1 and 1.73 for type 2. Are there different levels or grades of the disease? I would assume the antibody count would go up if I had a flare-up, so I can't imagine the fact that it's low right now is indicative that I'm really only "kind of" infected with herpes...as if being exposed to it again could make my case worse or something. If someone can confirm or deny my doctor's statement that I'm barely infected I'd appreciate it. Also, if serum antibody levels increase during an outbreak and if a lower antibody level reduces chances of transmitting the disease when it is dormant. Thanks!

[WCSDancer2010]

I'm going to pass this to Adrial because this is the one thing I'm still wrapping my head around .. he's talked more recently to one of the top Dr's and will be more up to date than I am...

 

Certainly your H2 numbers are on the low positive end. What exactly that means still confuses me a bit too ... so I'll be interested to see what he says...

[mr_hopp]

Hi clever & dancer!

 

Tag! I'm it! ;) Ah yes, IgG numbers can be confusing. Don't pay attention to the numbers as if more of the number means anything. It's black and white as to whether you have herpes or not; it's just the tests that make it seem like there's a gray area or "grades" of the virus in the system. More antibodies don't mean the immune system is fighting off an infection or anything of the sort. Antibody levels are very subjective and are determined by each of our individual physiologies and immune systems.

 

Bottom line: Anything under 0.9, you don't have herpes; anything above a 1.1 you do. Anything in between 0.9-1.1, it's inconclusive and needs to be tested again.

 

Unfortunately, IgG (as good as it is ... and how much greater it is than IgM) still gives false negatives AND false positives. The gold standard (and pricey) other option is to get the Western Blot test. That is a definite answer. Very rare to have false negatives/positives with that test. But since yours is 1.73, chances are you do have HSV-2 (and of course HSV-1). That means even if you never have an actual outbreak you can see, you will still shed virus from the site of initial infection (which you won't know where that is until you have an actual outbreak).

 

I know this is all confusing as hell. I wish there were better information out there for all of this. We're working on putting together an informational series so people can wrap their heads around all of this. Truth is, there just isn't accessible information except for medical journals and the like that breaks all this down.

[MC0704]

This is interesting. So, there is no way to really know how contagious you are? Folks with HIV know their viral load, and can practically get it down to zero, but there is no way to know one's viral load with the herpes virus? One would think that after having the virus for over a year, her IGG would be well above 1.73. Makes no sense to me??

[mr_hopp]

"So, there is no way to really know how contagious you are?"

 

Nope. Not yet. We've joked here before about an iPhone attachment that we'd be able to pass over our sexy bits that would immediately give us an idea of whether we're shedding or not. But that time hasn't come yet (and as much as I love my iPhone, I don't know how I feel about getting that intimate with it). ;)

 

So in lieu of a moment-by-moment detection system, we have the % of viral shedding that *could be* happening at any given moment. And that directly translates to the % of passing herpes to a partner, all discussed in detail in the handouts for those of you who hasn't seen these awesome handouts I designed for you: (labor of love, you see) :)

http://eepurl.com/b4IPP

[Scared4this]

Hi Adrial, I read on medhelp that any score under 3.5 should be either tested again Ina few months or go for WB. Technically anything above 1.1 is positive but there seems to be a debate on the cross reaction of hsv1 and hsv2 ... So if an individual want to confirm with his/her status, would be to go for WB ( that's if u have no outbreak).

No blood test is perfect in anyway but for peace of mind on something like health... I would go for WB MC0704 ... But the recommended time frame is 12 to 16 weeks after potential exposure or sex. You can read more on this topic in medhelp and get ur self educated thru Adrial's fantastic herpes material! But to confirm if u do have hsv2 is the first step.

[mcr23456]

I know this is an old post, but I was recently diagnosed, so I'm still learning and have questions.  So, the person from whom I got this had a level of like 60 on the HSV1 IGG test.  Mine was only 2.05.  I also know I've only recently been exposed. So that doesn't mean his body is better at fighting it off?  He says he never had any outbreaks.  Is it likely that my number will rise over time as the body builds up more?  OR that I'm less immune?  Thanks.  Sorry for dredging this up, I'm just... panicking. 🙂

[organicmama]

21 minutes ago, mcr23456 said:

I know this is an old post, but I was recently diagnosed, so I'm still learning and have questions.  So, the person from whom I got this had a level of like 60 on the HSV1 IGG test.  Mine was only 2.05.  I also know I've only recently been exposed. So that doesn't mean his body is better at fighting it off?  He says he never had any outbreaks.  Is it likely that my number will rise over time as the body builds up more?  OR that I'm less immune?  Thanks.  Sorry for dredging this up, I'm just... panicking. 🙂

Hey! I recently spoke to an MD about this. I am getting my blood work done soon after my next 10-pass session of ozone therapy. I will have completed 30 sessions. My doctor, who is performing my ozone, owned her own OBGYN practice for 30 years. She told me the igg levels don't mean a lot in terms of how your body is fighting off the virus. She said she has seen very high levels from people with no outbreaks and very low levels from people with consistent outbreaks. It is hard to sort through all of this. Also, because I am told if you go below 0.9 it means you are negative for the virus. I did ask my local OBGYN, my MD, and my naturopath if we can get my viral load so low through diet, exercise, supplements, and ozone that it is untraceable in the system and I was told it is possible.

[mcr23456]

3 minutes ago, organicmama said:

Hey! I recently spoke to an MD about this. I am getting my blood work done soon after my next 10-pass session of ozone therapy. I will have completed 30 sessions. My doctor, who is performing my ozone, owned her own OBGYN practice for 30 years. She told me the igg levels don't mean a lot in terms of how your body is fighting off the virus. She said she has seen very high levels from people with no outbreaks and very low levels from people with consistent outbreaks. It is hard to sort through all of this. Also, because I am told if you go below 0.9 it means you are negative for the virus. I did ask my local OBGYN, my MD, and my naturopath if we can get my viral load so low through diet, exercise, supplements, and ozone that it is untraceable in the system and I was told it is possible.

Thanks!  But the IGG levels are the antibodies, not the levels of the virus.  So in my brain, the higher the antibodies, the better the chance of fighting the infection.  Or is that wrong?  If the antibodies are low, does that mean the viral load is lower?  I'm so confused. 

[organicmama]

 

3 minutes ago, mcr23456 said:

Thanks!  But the IGG levels are the antibodies, not the levels of the virus.  So in my brain, the higher the antibodies, the better the chance of fighting the infection.  Or is that wrong?  If the antibodies are low, does that mean the viral load is lower?  I'm so confused. 

Yup, I know what the IGG levels are. So what you are thinking TOTALLY makes sense. However, this is why it can be confusing. The virus might not be very active in your body - so your immune system might not need to be reacting to it - so this can cause your levels to be low. That's why my doctor told me the IGG levels are confusing because on one hand - the virus can be active and your immune system might not be functioning at it's max capacity to keep it contained but on the other hand the virus just might not be active and your body doesn't need to be fighting it. That's why she told me the best measure is seeing if you have outbreaks.

[mcr23456]

1 minute ago, organicmama said:

 

Yup, I know what the IGG levels are. So what you are thinking TOTALLY makes sense. However, this is why it can be confusing. The virus might not be very active in your body - so your immune system might not need to be reacting to it - so this can cause your levels to be low. That's why my doctor told me the IGG levels are confusing because on one hand - the virus can be active and your immune system might not be functioning at it's max capacity to keep it contained but on the other hand the virus just might not be active and your body doesn't need to be fighting it. That's why she told me the best measure is seeing if you have outbreaks.

Thanks!  I've only been exposed about 6 weeks or so ago, and just go the positive blood test back this week. I'm in a second out break, in 6 weeks, but my life has been pretty stressful the last few weeks and I was sick, so that's probably the reason. 

[organicmama]

5 minutes ago, mcr23456 said:

Thanks!  I've only been exposed about 6 weeks or so ago, and just go the positive blood test back this week. I'm in a second out break, in 6 weeks, but my life has been pretty stressful the last few weeks and I was sick, so that's probably the reason. 

Are you taking any supplements or doing anything special with your diet to help your body?

[mcr23456]

Yes, I take a b-complex, 400 mg of B2 for migraines, garlic, cranberry, and Lysine.  I'm also on a Keto diet (essentially, no grains or sugar), and I'm down 66 pounds as of this morning.  (since last year - not overnight haha)

[organicmama]

3 hours ago, mcr23456 said:

Yes, I take a b-complex, 400 mg of B2 for migraines, garlic, cranberry, and Lysine.  I'm also on a Keto diet (essentially, no grains or sugar), and I'm down 66 pounds as of this morning.  (since last year - not overnight haha)

That's awesome!!! Good for you!! I'm taking monolaurin, oregano oil, daily immune complex, lysine, probiotic, and propolis. I'm eating a gluten-free, organic, all natural diet. I try to get as many berries and greens in as I can. I used to be REALLY into working out. I'm actually a nationally qualified bikini competitor - but I've been so depressed I haven't been able to work out. I really need to get back...

[Cia6666]

Hi there, it will get better I promise! All the things you are doing for your body are a huge help but also just time for your body to adjust is key. 

 

Hang in there. 

[mcr23456]

2 hours ago, Cia6666 said:

Hi there, it will get better I promise! All the things you are doing for your body are a huge help but also just time for your body to adjust is key. 

 

Hang in there. 

Thank you so much. 😊

[Cia6666]

Sure thing. 

 

best 

[Cia6666]

How you doing? Hope it's improved a bit. 

 

[Elle27]

On 9/27/2018 at 8:39 AM, organicmama said:

Hey! I recently spoke to an MD about this. I am getting my blood work done soon after my next 10-pass session of ozone therapy. I will have completed 30 sessions. My doctor, who is performing my ozone, owned her own OBGYN practice for 30 years. She told me the igg levels don't mean a lot in terms of how your body is fighting off the virus. She said she has seen very high levels from people with no outbreaks and very low levels from people with consistent outbreaks. It is hard to sort through all of this. Also, because I am told if you go below 0.9 it means you are negative for the virus. I did ask my local OBGYN, my MD, and my naturopath if we can get my viral load so low through diet, exercise, supplements, and ozone that it is untraceable in the system and I was told it is possible.

Have you noticed changes with your frequency or duration of outbreaks with the ozone therapy?

 

 

[organicmama]

20 hours ago, Elle27 said:

Have you noticed changes with your frequency or duration of outbreaks with the ozone therapy?

 

 

Hey, Elle! I have not had any outbreaks since the ozone therapy. It has been six weeks.

[Elle27]

41 minutes ago, organicmama said:

Hey, Elle! I have not had any outbreaks since the ozone therapy. It has been six weeks.

Thanks for your response! I had my first treatment yesterday and also did high dose vitamin C IV therapy. Hoping that it helps. How often do you do ozone therapy? Do you take any antivirals or try to stick to a natural approach? I was already eating super healthy (no processed foods, no soy, dairy, gluten, pork, shellfish, nightshades, minimal grains etc) and organic before I was diagnosed during my first outbreak and have reduced arginine intake, taking 4000 mg of lyseine during outbreaks, multivitamin, fish oil, tumeric, echinacea, astralagus, and lemon balm tinctures. I also take liquid vitamin D, a gut supplement that has oregano in it, and vitamin C powder. 

 

Thanks!

 

elle

[organicmama]

1 minute ago, Elle27 said:

Thanks for your response! I had my first treatment yesterday and also did high dose vitamin C IV therapy. Hoping that it helps. How often do you do ozone therapy? Do you take any antivirals or try to stick to a natural approach? I was already eating super healthy (no processed foods, no soy, dairy, gluten, pork, shellfish, nightshades, minimal grains etc) and organic before I was diagnosed during my first outbreak and have reduced arginine intake, taking 4000 mg of lyseine during outbreaks, multivitamin, fish oil, tumeric, echinacea, astralagus, and lemon balm tinctures. I also take liquid vitamin D, a gut supplement that has oregano in it, and vitamin C powder. 

 

Thanks!

 

elle

Hey, Elle!

You did ozone therapy?! So cool to see someone else do it. I actually just said today I want to do a high doze Vitamin C drip. I have another appointment with a new doctor that is closer to me that says ozone combined with another treatment is highly effective - when he goes over it with me on Thursday I'll shoot you some info on it. I did three 10 pass sessions of ozone so he said unless I have another outbreak we probably don't need to do anything right now. Just so you know (which I'm sure you do b/c you seem super informed) just try to keep your lysine level higher than your arginine with your diet so yogurt, for example, is a good food to eat. I am doing limited dairy - except for the recommended foods with high lysine levels. I am also gluten free, mostly organic (always when I eat at home), no processed foods, lots of antioxidant rich foods, and just make clean choices when I am out. Also, no chocolate or sweets. I take monolaurin (DEF look this up), vitamin c with rose hips and bioflavonoids, elderberry, echinacea, vitamin d, lysine, probiotic, oregano oil, and I rub DMSO cream with oregano oil in it on the bottom of my spine 1-2x daily. I also mix coconut oil with oregano oil and use it topically - I do this daily as a preventative measure. My doctor told me to continue my supplements for 6 more weeks then I can cut down a little bit. I take most of these 2x daily.