Can culture type be wrong?

I am a 41 YO male and 2 weeks ago I woke up and had a few blisters on my penis.  Went to doctor who diagnosed as HSV.  I have never had an outbreak or any symptoms.  I have taken a few blood tests over the years and none have ever been positive for HSV2.  I did test positive for HSV1 on Jan 26,2011 blood test IGG.  Negative for HSV2.  My number there was .04

Now the culture came back HSV2 but I just had another blood test that says negative for HSV2 both IGG and IGM.

Could the type actually be HSV1and the culture was wrong or there was a clerical error?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Is it possible that you have new infection with HSV 2?  Have you recently had a new partner or has your current partner, if you have one, been tested for HSV 2?  

Terri

[Cohelp]

I have only been with my girlfriend since end of November and same with her.   She has been tested regularly and never anything but hsv1 (she has had cold sores but never anything genital). I have been tested a few times in past 5 years but negative except for hsv1.  I have never had a cold sore or anything genital.  So i had a negative hsv2 blood test in January but then my first outbreak in late April.  That culture test said positive hsv2.  I then had a blood test done again on 5/8 that came back negative for hsv2 on both igg and igm.  Could the culture have been wrong mistaking hsv2 or hsv1?  Are these sandwiched negative hsv2 blood tests common around a positive culture?  If not what does that mean?  

Thanks for your time.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Are you absolutely certain that your girlfriend has tested negative for HSV 2?  I think that the chances of the swab test being incorrectly typed is pretty darn small.  Did you actually see the results of the test?  Sometimes clinicians assume that it is HSV 2 if taken from the genital area.  I would, if I were you, like to see her negative HSV 2 serology and your HSV 2 positive culture results, on paper.  If both are accurate, there are two possibilities - one is that your antibody test didn't pick up you HSV 2 infection, another is that hers didn't, and a third, I guess, is that the typing is incorrect.

Terri

[Cohelp]

Thanks Terri.  To answer your question I have seen both hers and mine on paper.  The culture was HSV2 positive for me but my blood test 3 months prior was negative and the one I had 2 weeks after outbreak were negative on IGG and IGM.  Hers was negative for HSV2 as well.  

Would it be normal for me to have two blood tests that show negative for HSV2 (pre and post outbreak) and still have a positive HSV 2 culture test?

I just had a third blood test done with an infectious disease doctor who I believe is doing the western blot which I have been told is supposed to be the most accurate blood so hopefully that will shed some light.  

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

The western blot is not going to be the best test quite yet for you, at least maybe not.  If someone HER test missed the infection, and you have new infection, then the western blot is not good at picking up new infection.  If it is YOUR test that missed the HSV 2 infection, then it would be OK to use it know as your infection would be longer standing.  
If the typing is just wrong, then the western blot might be helpful, but only if both of your samples are run by western blot.

Terri

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Is there any chance a third party is involved here?

Terri