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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Possible Reinfection of HSV2
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
Welcome to the DERMATOLOGY FORUM! Questions in this forum are answered by Dermatologists from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, under the direction of Andrew Alexis, M.D., M.P.H.
Possible Reinfection of HSV2
by Gabriel1, Mar 17, 2007 12:00AM
I am a 48-year-old female. I have had HSV2 for 30+ years. However, I did not get diagnosed until 2 months ago. During the last 15 years I have had only 2 minor outbreaks -- until recently. I have recently been intimate with a man that also has HSV2, and now I have had 3 minor outbreaks in the last 9 months. I have heard that the possiblity of getting reinfected with HSV2 is extremely rare -- yet possible. If I didn't get reinfected, what could have caused the signficant increase in outbreaks? Is there a way to know if I've actually been reintected? Also, I have heard that if you get reinfected with a different strain of HSV2, the original hepres antibodies will "beat down" the new strain and you should soon return to you previous level of outbreaks. Is this correct? If you become reinfected, does this increase your risk of transmitting herpes to a partner? During the last 30 years I have been in 2 long term marriages and a couple of relationships, all of which included plenty of unprotected sex. As far as I know, my non-H partners, never contracted the virus. How can this be? Are some people non-shedders? Do very minor, infrequent outbreaks mean you shed less and are at a smaller risk of "sharing?" Please help -- I don't want to infect someone. Thank you.
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Mar 18, 2007 12:00AM
, Mar 18, 2007 12:00AM
In your specific circumstances, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Once your partner has HSV-2 you can't give it to him again, nor can he give it to you. I'm not familiar with 'different strains' of HSV-2. Anybody with herpes, oral or genital, can have periods where there are a cluster of outbreaks, for no particular reason. I would expect that you should revert to your old pattern.
Pep with HSV-2 shed virus in low titers between outbreaks. Maybe former partners got lucky, or maybe they contracted it and the virus remained latent, or maybe they got outbreaks after you lost touch with them. Going forward, you should be sure to have any non-HSV-2 partners be sure to use condoms, which is the best you can do to prevent infecting someone else. But you needn't worry about your current partner, either for yourself or for him.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
Pep with HSV-2 shed virus in low titers between outbreaks. Maybe former partners got lucky, or maybe they contracted it and the virus remained latent, or maybe they got outbreaks after you lost touch with them. Going forward, you should be sure to have any non-HSV-2 partners be sure to use condoms, which is the best you can do to prevent infecting someone else. But you needn't worry about your current partner, either for yourself or for him.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
