Do I have herpes?

[veryparanoid]

Situation: I have just come back from Amsterdam, where I engaged in protected oral and vaginal intercourse with a prostitute. The encounter was about a week ago and very brief, under 4 minutes. There was also very minimal contact with my unprotected genitals to the prostitute. I washed my penis and genitals about 10 minutes afterwards. I am still very paranoid though because I have what looks to be jock itch in the folds of my skin, where the leg meets the groin, on both sides, however I read that herpes can be mistaken for that. The jock itch is possible due to the fact that I walked around a lot in the passed two weeks and sweated in the groin area (I was on vacation, sightseeing). I got tested for HSV2, but since read that it can take upto 4 weeks to develop antibodies. I don't see any obvious bumps or anything, but I have also read that some people do not exhibit symptoms at all. It has been exactly one week since the encounter.

Question: How common is it that no bumps or lesions develop? I am pretty sure that I have HSV1, since I've had cold sores before, how does that affect me displaying symptoms of HSV2? How can I be sure that I do not have anything and that what I have is really jock itch? Is one week too soon, how long should I wait before I am confident I do not have anything?

Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Tinea cruris (jock itch) symptoms do not suggest herpes; a red rash and itching of the scrotum and in the crease between leg and genitals are the most comomn sites, just like you describe.  Herpes doesn't occur there.  When herpes causes symptoms, it results in blister like sores that you could expect to see on the penis, immediately above the condom coverage--and probably nowhere else.  It does not cause a diffuse red rash.

Anyway, the chance of getting herpes from any single encounter is very low; and drops to virtually zero with a condom.  Although herpes can occasionally be transmitted by skin contact above a condom's coverage, it is rare.

There are conflicting research results, but most likely HSV-1 makes people more resistant to HSV-2 if exposed.  However, any protection is not very great.  People with HSV-1 tend to get less severe symptomatic outbreaks when they catch HSV-2.  But the nature of those symptoms--i.e., what the lesions look like, their location, etc--does not change.

You should put herpes out of your mind and not seek HSV testing on the basis of this exposure. You can try OTC treatment for your possible jock itch; it will be in the same area of the pharmacy as the athletes foot creams.  If that doesn't clear up your rash, see a health care provider.

Please do not follow up with "yes, but?" and "what if?" questions.  Unless you develop more typical herpes symptoms, there is no information you can add that will change my advice.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[thevocation]

So are you saying that is is essentially impossible to transmit hcv2 to areas covered by the condom? The hcv transmissions when a condom is involved only can show symptoms at the sites not covered by the condom?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Yes, of course that's what I'm saying.  No STD passes through intact condoms.  (This is a thread jump.  You'll have to post a new thread if you have follow-up concerns or comments.)

HHH, MD