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herpes/ impetigo

Can you tell me what the link if any is between Impetigo and Herpes?

My son had Impetigo last year which affected his nose, mouth and chin area then a week or so later discovered scab like areas on his genitals. When I took him to the doctor he was treated for Impetigo.

Recently my son told me he had been sexually active with his girlfriend and that she has now told him she thinks she may have caught the STD Genital Herpes from him?

My son is showing no symptoms of Herpes and has only ever been diagnosed with Impetigo

Any help on this matter would be most welcoming
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Avatar universal
Thanks for that :)

Like you I talked to my son and thought he was well informed, I gave him information on std's and talked about myths regarding pregnancy etc. I always maintained that he could talk to me no matter what. Just wish he had spoken to me sooner, better late than never I guess.

:)


Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
actually if he has hsv1 orally, he could've transmitted it to this gal if he performed oral sex on her. there doesn't have to be any active cold sores present in order for that to happen.    He might've really had impetigo if that was the case .   ( I know, I'm probably confusing you, sorry )

if she wasn't tested until she had a scab, it's going to be awhile until they can get better answers :(     Do you know if she's had other partners or not?  

www.iwannaknow.org is a website run by asha that is aimed specifically at teens.  it's a good site to send the kids to.  Of course I know with my own son, we talked and talked about sex, std's and pregnancy and I really thought he knew enough facts to make good decisions and his hormones kicked in and he had unprotected sex anyways.  It's just great that your son is talking to you about this and you are there for him :)  

grace

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Avatar universal
Hi GracefromHHP,

My son and his girlfriend are both 15. I wasn't aware they were sexually active untill recently when he told me about the problem.

He said they used a condom but it split. She went to the chemist and got the morning after pill then a few weeks later discoverd the scab like area on her genital area.

You try so hard to guide your kids and expalin the dangers of unprotected sex.
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Avatar universal
Hi Mistakeguy789,

Thanks for the feedback.

So, Impetigo is a bacterial infection and Herpes is a Virus -  nothing to do with one another. I get so confused as some articles I have read mention both therefore I thought they were related in some way.

My son suffers from cold sores now and then and has done since a child so im guesing he does have the type 1 Herpes virus.

The Impetigo started of looking like a cold sore, therfore I wasn't overly concerned as he had suffered cold sores in the past but when it started to spread and blister thats when I took him to the doctors where he was then diagnosed as having Impetigo unfortuantly it spread to his genital area but after treatment cleared up. That was last summer. He has not sufferd Impetigo or a cold sore since then and was only within the last couple of months sexually active with his girlfriend.

His girlfriend has been to the doctor and is currently waiting on a blood result to determine if it is Herpes. If it is then im guesing that my son will now carry the type 2 virus.
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
if your son is old enough to be having sex, he's old enough to get a type specific herpes igg blood test done to know what his status is.   he'll need to do it anyways if they are still dating so he might as well get it done now. the earlier into things he gets it done, the better able to determine if she got it from him or if she had it prior to  meeting him.   Your son also needs to ask her more questions like what testing she's had done.  he should also cover his bases with a full std screening while he is at it.

to be honest, your son  was more likely to have herpes orally and genitally than he was impetigo at his age.  now who got it from whom, might take some work to figure out.

grace
Helpful - 0
1174003 tn?1308160819
Good Morning!

The symptoms do sound the same as far as the bumps and how they react they are two different problems.  Your son has a bacterial infection and HSV is just like the name says is a virus.  

Chances are if your son was active with this girl before this condition was cleared up there are chances it may have been passed.  However, there isn't a 100% for sure thing.  Unless your son has HSV he can't give HSV to another person.  

Knowing his HSV status will help him to know if his partner has an STD from him or not.  Also how was your son diagnoised with Impetigo?  Was it from a lesision culture?  If so that would have answered the question right away.  


If your son does have cold sores then there is a possibility if they had oral sex that he did give her genital herpes.  But the odds are more infavor that he might have either given or gotten impetigo to/from her.  If you want you can ask for a type specifc IgG blood test to know your sons status.  If their last sexual encounter was 3-4 months ago that would give you an accurate result. But I don't think its neccessary.  If the girl is showing symptoms have the girl go to the doctor to be looked into.  
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