negative blood test-no outbreaks - still contagious???

Hi,

Thank you for your valuable resource.

I'm hoping you can help me out with a handful of questions and concerns I have.

My fiance was diagnosed with HSV-2 in February of this year, through a culture taken from what she believes was her first outbreak. Since February, she has had two additional outbreaks. Before we became sexually active together, well over a year before her diagnosis, I was blood and urine tested for all STDs, including HSV-1 and 2, and tests were negative. After her diagnosis, I was blood and urine tested again for everything, including HSV-1 and 2, and again the tests were negative.

Two weeks ago, I had an outbreak of some sort in the genital area. The first doctor I visited, the day I noticed the outbreak, said it looked like either herpes or molloscum. He treated the outbreak with liquid nitrogen, but wanted to rule out HSV with a blood test. The test again, through blood and urine, came back negative. The second doctor I saw, one week later, when the sores were painful and not diminishing nor spreading, said it looked like herpes.

The second doctor indicated that if I could have been a carrier of the herpes virus without ever having had an outbreak. She also said that without having had an outbreak before my blood would have no antibodies by which a blood test would reveal the HSV. In other words, the doctor was suggesting that someone could have HSV but that a blood test would offer a false negative if I'd never had an outbreak. (She indicated that cultures were a more reliable tool in diagnosing HSV, but that there was no culture to be taken from me at the time of that visit. She recommended a blood test again in a couple of months, suggesting that, if this was a herpes outbreak, my body would generate sufficiently-readable antibodies within that timeframe. Is that correct?)

I'm wondering if that's true/possible and if it's possible I received so many false readings from blood tests (four in the past three years). I'm wondering, more importantly, if it's possible that I gave my fiance herpes despite having clear blood tests and no previous outbreaks.

I would greatly appreciate any and all information you might provide on this sensitive subject.

Thank you very much.

[gracefromHHP]

Only something like 2% of folks who really have hsv2 won't test + for it on the tests we have available at this time if enough time has passed before they are tested. Your original baseline test you had done when your gf was diagnosed proves pretty much that she had this before she met you and this was just her first obvious recurrence of it. Did your gf have an igg blood test done when she was originally diagnosed?

The provider who used nitrogen on your lesions was in error. It would've been best to just get a lesion culture and typing of the symptoms, given you a round of herpes antivirals and then had you return in 2 weeks for a recheck. If it had been molluscum it would've been more evident in 2 weeks and herpes would've cleared up on its own by then with the antivirals.  Sorry to hear that they dropped the ball at that time :(

You don't ever have to have an obvious ob in order for the blood tests to be + for a herpes infection.  Sorry to hear that the 2nd provider is not up to date on herpes testing to understand them and gave you wrong information :(

At this point you need to just wait and get another igg herpes blood test in 3 or 4 months. Should you have a return of symptoms before then, go be seen within 24-48 hours of their appearance for a lesion culture and typing.  Unfortunately if this is a newly acquired infection there aren't really faster answers.

grace