How accurate is the HSV culture test?
How accurate is the HSV culture test?
The herpes culture test (swab test) has a 0% chance of a false-positive test result. This means that a person who tests positive can be 100% sure that they have the herpes infection. The commercially available herpes IgG test (HerpeSelect) has up to a 19% probability of revealing false-positive test results.
Can HSV-2 swab test be wrong?
The chances of false positive results increase as the likelihood of the infection decreases in the person being tested. False positive HSV-2 results can happen, especially in people who are at low risk for a herpes infection.
Can a HSV culture be wrong?
Herpes tests can be wrong, but it is much more common for them to give a false negative (because we are swabbing a herpes sore that is already healing up), than for the test to give a false positive. It sounds like in your case you did have an active sore when you got tested, and the swab found HSV-1 in the sore.
How reliable are HSV-2 tests?
The high rate of false-positive HSV-2 tests was particularly troubling, said Dr. Anna Wald, who led the research. “These tests aren’t as good as they ought to be, given that they are used to diagnose someone with a chronic, lifelong sexually transmitted disease.”
What is the sensitivity/specificity of herpes simplex virus (HSV) tests?
The sensitivity/specificity of two different, relatively standard, herpes blood tests are as follows: ELISA: ~91% sensitivity and 92% specificity for HSV-1 Immunoblot: ~99% sensitivity and 95% specificity for HSV-1
What is a high HSV2 immunoblot test result?
If the immunoblot test is given, a test result that is higher than 1.1 is generally considered to be a strong indication of the presence of herpes. The issue with HSV 2 is that it can spread even when safe sex measures are taken.
How reliable are herpes diagnostic tests?
Study questions reliability of diagnostic tests for herpes. These tests, called enzyme-linked immunoassays, detect the presence of antibodies to the herpes simplex viruses in a person’s blood. When the antibodies are detected, the test is positive, meaning that the person is infected by the virus. No detected antibodies indicates no infection.
