Herpes swab test

[hopefulone123]

Hello! I would like to ask, if oral sex was performed the night before or just prior to a swab test taken on a suspected blister on the labia, will there be a possibility of the highly sensitive PCR test to come back positive for GHSV1 from the saliva of someone who has oral HSV1?

Thank you

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Well, if there was HSV 1 present in the mouth of the giver of oral sex, I suppose it is possible that virus would show up.  But if you are asking if it possible that HSV 1 could be present in the genital area while a sore is there also that is not caused by herpes, the answer would be yes, but the coincidence is amazing.

Terri

[hopefulone123]

Hi Terri thank you for your response :) I should clarify, the blister was already present for 3-4 days from a suspected infection from oral sex a week prior to its appearance. My question is, if oral sex was performed again a couple of hours before taking a swab, will the PCR pick up the HSV1 virus from the saliva of the partner and therefore give a false positive result, say, if the blister was only caused by a yeast or bacterial infection?

Thank you very much

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

The next day is almost too soon for something to show up in a swab test.  usually the incubation period from infection to a positive test is about 5 days, but could show up as early as two days.  

Terri