This makes a lot more sense now. Thanks again for your help!
The test involves mixing your blood serum into a testing well with antigen and a color enzyme. There is also a testing well that is the control that is also prepared with a special sample that is defined as one. The ratio of color density of your sample to the control sample is the result.
The control levels within the test are different, there are a small amount of manual processes involving the serum and adding it to the wells, the amount of enzyme color that naturally sticks along with some unrelated proteins in your blood all mean that numbers will fluctuate from test to test for a person negative for antibodies.
As such anything less than the control sample is a negative. Remember most people who are infected test a clear positive with color ratios in excess of 5.
Sorry, but I forgot one last question. Based on my research on the forums, i have learned that the numbers fluctuating between blood tests are meaningless, but why? Last year, I had a 0.13 & 0.27 for hsv1 and hsv2 respectively. Now my hsv2 igg score is 0.7. I know it's still negative, but why do the numbers fluctuate? Now it's a higher negative. How does the lab assign these values and why?
Thank you for your help! Much appreciated.
It is some sort of printing error most probably. If it was a failed test then the lab would have most likely reperformed the test. If it was positive, then unlikely an error would have been shown.
You do not suddenly become infected with HSV1 and not know it. A primary infection is a very distinctive episode for most people.
Thanks! So definitely not worth retesting? Could you pls explain why this error should be deemed meaningless? I just would love to educate myself on this procedure more. Thanks!
This does seem to be an error of some kind, but one that is pretty meaningless. You are indeed negative.