Is canker sore consider Herpes?

[pekkle668]

Hi, is canker sore a type of Herpes? If so, can someone with a canker sore transmit Herpes to another person during oral sex?
Also will the blood test show elevated level of igm with an active canker sore? My boyfriend had a canker sore recently and I developed a possible case of Herpes (had a lesion in my genital area). Just need to understand how I get it. When I took the blood test, I had a canker sore as well. The blood test show a 1.06 level of igm. But it says negative for type HSV I or II. It sugguested another test. Also how accurate is the HerpesSelect blood test? Should I request a Western Blot test instead? How hard it is to get the Western Blot test?Thanks for taking your time in answering my questions.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Worried710 is right and your doctor is wrong.  Herpes and canker sores are entirely different things.

As to whether or not you have herpes:  The reliable HSV blood tests do not test for IgM.  In other words, the fact that you have an IgM result means the lab didn't do a truly accurate test.  You may well be negative, but the HerpeSelect test would tell for sure.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[worried710]

A canker sore is completely different than a cold sore.  Canker sores are not caused by a virus.  It's still 100% known not known what exactly causes canker sores, but foods, mouthwashes, toothpastes, mouth trauma (many people prone to canker sores get one every time they bit their lip), and simple body chemistry are thought to cause some canker sores.  Canker sores are usually red with a solid whitish/yellow center, whereas cold sores are usually very irregular with many blisters.

A lot of people group the two together, however.  A cold sure is caused by herpes only, and almost all the time, HSV1. 99.9% of the time they occur on the outside of the mouth, usually at the edge of the lips and occurs as a cluster of blisters that opens and then scabs over.  Canker sores are inside the mouth only, and usually occur on the roof of the mouth, inside the cheek, and inside your lower lip, but can occur other places inside the mouth as well.

So basically, canker sore is almost always inside the mouth, and isn't caused by herpes, nor is it contagious.

Cold sores are almost always outside the mouth, and caused by HSV1, and are contagious.

[pekkle668]

Thanks, but I am confused. I thought my Dr. said canker sore is a type of Herpes. All the readings I found online are not conclusive either. Now I am worry...

[pekkle668]

Thank you Dr. HHH for clarifying. One more question, does elevated level of igm definitely means early stage of Herpes? The prescription was for Herpes Type I / II specific. However, the lab only show igm level at this point and requested a test again at a later day. My Dr. recommende me for another test in 6 weeks, it's a long time sitting and waiting. Thanks again.

[pekkle668]

After reading others questions and comments, I took a look at the prescription for blood test. It says "Herpes Ab Titer, Type I + II, IgG+IgM. 0.54.10. Can someone please tell me what this means? Can the initial test be false positive? Should I wait for another 6 weeks for the same test or should I get Herpes Select? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

If you have read the other threads, you already know that you did not have the recommended test for HSV antibody.  I do not know how to interpret those particular numbers.  Ask your health care provider to tell the lab to do a truly type specific test, such as the HerpeSelect test for HSV-2. (I assume you are in the US; the test may have different trade names in other countries.)  Many of the large interstate labs (e.g., Lab Corps, Quest) offer the test.

But since you had a canker sore, and not (apparently) herpes, why are you being tested for HSV anyway?  Whether postive for HSV-1, -2, both, or neither, the result will say nothing about the cause of the sores in your mouth.

HHH, MD

[worried710]

Where was the sore?  Inside your mouth, or outside?  Did you classify it as a canker sore, or did your doctor?

[pekkle668]

Sorry not being clear. I am in the US. I had a pimple like lesion in my labia; it did not look like the Herpes pictures I saw on the web. It was had a white head and felt sore.  My OB is convinced that it's Herpes, even though he only took a quick look. Unfortunately, my OB used an expired culture test kit and the lab refused to conduct the test. I found this out after a week of waiting and it was too late to re-test. At that point, I had a canker sore in my month and had the blood test done the same time. The prescription for the test is "Herpes Ab Titer". My boyfriend and I been together for years and he never had any symptoms nor cold sore. He had canker sores only. My test for the first Herpes Ab Titer is equivocal for igM and negative for Type I and II. I asked my doctor is I should re-test and he said not necessary. I need to know for sure if I have Herpes. Do you recommend another test, Herpes Select or Western Blod? Thanks for your valuable comments.