Genital HSV Type I ??

[KW828]

I'm a 35 yrs old male. Had my HSV blood test (IgG) in May & in Oct this month and both showed I am HSV I positive and HSV II negative. The May report showed a HSV I +4.5 and the Oct report showed a +3.6. In mid Sep I found four blisters on my penis. They were not clustered but were all located on the right side of my penis, below the head on the neck area. The blisters were broken and turned into ulcers and were healed in 1.5 weeks. My body was normal except that there was pain when I touched the sores. After healing, I could notice those spots look a bit lighter on my penis. Then about 9 days later, I found 3-4 very little red bumps in the same area but not at the exact spot as the 1st time. They were smaller in size than the blisters I had earlier. There was little liquid came out but very unnoticeable. They were healed in about 3-4 days. Then again a week later I found another 2-3 red bumps just like last time, very unnoticeable and healed in 2-3 days. This whole thing lasted for about a month till now since I first found the blisters. Some additional information: the last time I had sex was in July & I had cold sores on my lips when I was a teenager.
1) Do they look like genital HSV I to you? IF yes, is it possible to have 2 recurrences after the first outbreak and all 3 incidents happen within a month? IF it is not genital HSV I, what could it possibly be?
2) I haven't had sex in the 2.5 months prior to it, is it possible that symptoms show a few months after the infection?
3) If I was already oral HSV I positive, would I still get genital HSV I?
4) If I have genital HSV I and my partner is HSV I negative, would I pass it to her during genital intercourse without using a condom when I have no symptoms?
5) If I have oral HSV I, could my partner have already got oral HSV I from me from our daily kissing if she was not oral HSV I positive before?
6) Why was the ratio lower (+3.6) when I was having the outbreak or recurrences?
Many thanks!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Yes, if you have had recurrent cold sores, that means you almost certainly have HSV 1 infection.

Terri

[KW828]

Just want to clarify, does having cold sores in the past mean I am HSV 1 positive?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

In studies, we do swabbing from absolutely normal skin - no lesions need to be present to do swab testing.  It is slightly more likely to get a positive swab from a lesion, but any skin can be swabbed.  

Again, if you have had oral lesions that are HSV 1, it would be very unlikely to get HSV 1 genitally.

Terri

[KW828]

Looking forward to hearing from your answer for the above, please help!!!

[KW828]

Thank you for your reply! Since the symptoms were not very severe and the red bumps were so small, it was quite difficult to do an accurate swab test. I have seen 2 doctors in the past month and did 2 blood tests already. One doctor did a visual inspection on my blisters and told me not to worry about it. The 2nd doctor who is a specialist did the visual inspection when I had the small red bumps and told me it was possible that they were herpes but had to do a swab test to be certain. But he also told me that the symptoms were not serious and he could only do a swab test when they were more obvious and severe. Anyways, I forgot to ask that I never did any herpes blood test until the last couple of months, so I was not sure if I was HSV I positive. What is the chance that I was HSV I positive if I have had 2 to 3 incidents of having cold sores in the past? Thanks!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

It would be unlikely to get HSV 1 genitally since you've had it orally.  
Did you see a health care provider during any of these episodes to have the lesions swab tested?  What were the results?
If you do indeed have HSV 1 genitally, yes you could infect her through intercourse, and if you have it orally you could infect her through giving her oral sex.  Both could even happen when there are no symptoms present.  Yes, your partner could also get HSV 1 from you through kissing.
The numeric differences between the two tests are very normal variations and have absolutely no meaning.  

If you've not had these bumps swab tested, please do so and try to find out what's going on .  This could also be bacterial, and you need to find out so you can employ the correct treatment.

Terri