Aa
false-negative?
This is a follow-up question from my previous post.
I had something that resembled a canker sore inside my mouth 2 weeks after coming in contact with a female (saliva) that has hsv2 genitally but no symptoms orally, i went and took a test because i thought it was herpes, so did the doctor from the looks of it.
I got the results and both my culture and blood (herpeselect igg/igm) came back negative but was told to get another test done in 2 months.
My question is did i have the test done at the wrong time, causing a false-negative?
I initially came into contact with her on 1-13-05 and also on 1-28-05.I noticed a bump inside(soft part)my mouth on 1-17-05 that got worst.I did the testing on 2-1-05 and had the results on 2-4-05.
My question is, did i do the blood test to quickly? and did i do the culture to late?What are the chances that its going to be positive in the future, from the timeline you see?
I had something that resembled a canker sore inside my mouth 2 weeks after coming in contact with a female (saliva) that has hsv2 genitally but no symptoms orally, i went and took a test because i thought it was herpes, so did the doctor from the looks of it.
I got the results and both my culture and blood (herpeselect igg/igm) came back negative but was told to get another test done in 2 months.
My question is did i have the test done at the wrong time, causing a false-negative?
I initially came into contact with her on 1-13-05 and also on 1-28-05.I noticed a bump inside(soft part)my mouth on 1-17-05 that got worst.I did the testing on 2-1-05 and had the results on 2-4-05.
My question is, did i do the blood test to quickly? and did i do the culture to late?What are the chances that its going to be positive in the future, from the timeline you see?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The comments below by nervous2618 and monkeyflower are correct. If you really want to rule out herpes, another blood test needs to be done. Six weeks usually is sufficient with the HerpeSelect test, 2 months is still safer, and 3 months is ideal.
But there is no chance your oral lesion was due to HSV-2 and it probably wasn't due to HSV-1 either. The sore in your mouth almost certainly was a canker sore, not herpes, and its appearance 2 weeks after kissing someone is just a coincidence. I try not to get into diagnostic debates with a doc who has examined the patient, but herpes virtually never starts with a single sore inside the mouth, and 2 weeks is too long an incubation period anyway. Herpes culture is often negative once a herpes lesion is a few days old.
Are you sure your doctor actually did the HerpeSelect blood test? HerpeSelect only measures IgG antibody, not IgM. IgM testing isn't useful.
HHH, MD
But there is no chance your oral lesion was due to HSV-2 and it probably wasn't due to HSV-1 either. The sore in your mouth almost certainly was a canker sore, not herpes, and its appearance 2 weeks after kissing someone is just a coincidence. I try not to get into diagnostic debates with a doc who has examined the patient, but herpes virtually never starts with a single sore inside the mouth, and 2 weeks is too long an incubation period anyway. Herpes culture is often negative once a herpes lesion is a few days old.
Are you sure your doctor actually did the HerpeSelect blood test? HerpeSelect only measures IgG antibody, not IgM. IgM testing isn't useful.
HHH, MD
I am not the doc, but I will try and help til he gets here.
Depending on your source of info, blood tests for herpes are usually more accurate after 2-3 months. Not that it is wrong, but the margin for error is more. Definately get checked again in 2 months if you still feel symptoms or if it would help your peace of mind. I too am waiting.
As for a culture, it depends on how quick you got in after your lesion appeared. If you got in quickly, it is more accurate than if you waited awhile.
Herpes is a weird beast. It seems unpredictable, and no situation is the same.
Here is my unsolicited (unprofessional) advice. Take some comfort in your current negative results, and get tested in 2 months. Good luck.
P.S. If I am wrong about anything Doc, I apologize.
Depending on your source of info, blood tests for herpes are usually more accurate after 2-3 months. Not that it is wrong, but the margin for error is more. Definately get checked again in 2 months if you still feel symptoms or if it would help your peace of mind. I too am waiting.
As for a culture, it depends on how quick you got in after your lesion appeared. If you got in quickly, it is more accurate than if you waited awhile.
Herpes is a weird beast. It seems unpredictable, and no situation is the same.
Here is my unsolicited (unprofessional) advice. Take some comfort in your current negative results, and get tested in 2 months. Good luck.
P.S. If I am wrong about anything Doc, I apologize.
If she only has herpes genitally, then there's no way you contracted it via kissing (I assume that's what you mean by contact with saliva). I think even if you gave her oral, it's unlikely you'd contract HSV2 orally, since HSV2 doesn't really like the mouth. Besides, I was under the impression that any blister/sore on the inside of your mouth was unlikely to be herpes, although I could be quite wrong... but a canker sore is very different from a cold sore.
I noticed something small in my mouth 4 days after i came in contact with her,it was small but just kept growing so i did the culture and blood test 15 days later.Was that to late for a culture, even if the wound was still OPEN but healing?
She said she only has HSV2 genitally, but i suspect she might have it orally but without any symptoms, is there any way to know?
What i read is that initial herpes outbreaks are usually inside the mouth and the secondary outbreaks are outside.Thats why im worried.When you say "virtually never starts with a single sore inside the mouth", have you ever seen that happen in all your years?.The doctor told me herpeselect, all i know is that she did a blood test and took two swabs from the sore.I started to freak out when i saw red spots and drying on my lips along with a line running right in the middle of the bottom lip.
She said she only has HSV2 genitally, but i suspect she might have it orally but without any symptoms, is there any way to know?
What i read is that initial herpes outbreaks are usually inside the mouth and the secondary outbreaks are outside.Thats why im worried.When you say "virtually never starts with a single sore inside the mouth", have you ever seen that happen in all your years?.The doctor told me herpeselect, all i know is that she did a blood test and took two swabs from the sore.I started to freak out when i saw red spots and drying on my lips along with a line running right in the middle of the bottom lip.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The answer to "CAN X happen?" usually is different than "DOES X happen with sufficient frequency that I should worry about it?"
Maybe initial herpes can occur with a single lesion inside the moutn. In 35 years working in STD clinics, I have never seen a case. And nobody with genital HSV-2 also has recurrent oral herpes due to HSV-2. (Truly nobody? Who knows. Often enough to worry about it? No.) The mouth and throat are highly resistant to HSV-2 infection, especially to chronic infection with recurrent outbreaks.
Usually the HSV culture test would be positive if the lesion is still "open" and painful, i.e. hasn't started to heal. That's why the negative result on that test also is reassuring.
You do not have oral HSV-2; rely on it.
HHH, MD
Maybe initial herpes can occur with a single lesion inside the moutn. In 35 years working in STD clinics, I have never seen a case. And nobody with genital HSV-2 also has recurrent oral herpes due to HSV-2. (Truly nobody? Who knows. Often enough to worry about it? No.) The mouth and throat are highly resistant to HSV-2 infection, especially to chronic infection with recurrent outbreaks.
Usually the HSV culture test would be positive if the lesion is still "open" and painful, i.e. hasn't started to heal. That's why the negative result on that test also is reassuring.
You do not have oral HSV-2; rely on it.
HHH, MD
Those are some reasuring words...
The lesion started off as a tiny white dot which turned into redness and a medium sized oval shaped white spot, it was closed.It then tore open with a straight line going right through the middle of the sore.Im assuming this is when i shouldve done the testing but i waited a week after this to do it.Throughout all this, its probably taken 3 weeks or so for the sore to close up and i never really felt any pain to begin with, not enough to bother me anyway.When the doctor took the swab, it seemed like a chunk of yellow fluid went on the swab.Can the virus die but still leave the yellow residue?The bottom of my teeth were yellow an hour after she did this.
I am 23 years of age, do things like this usually happen for the first time at such an age? I dont remember biting myself in the mouth.What else can cause something like this to happen?bacteria?Germs?
The lesion started off as a tiny white dot which turned into redness and a medium sized oval shaped white spot, it was closed.It then tore open with a straight line going right through the middle of the sore.Im assuming this is when i shouldve done the testing but i waited a week after this to do it.Throughout all this, its probably taken 3 weeks or so for the sore to close up and i never really felt any pain to begin with, not enough to bother me anyway.When the doctor took the swab, it seemed like a chunk of yellow fluid went on the swab.Can the virus die but still leave the yellow residue?The bottom of my teeth were yellow an hour after she did this.
I am 23 years of age, do things like this usually happen for the first time at such an age? I dont remember biting myself in the mouth.What else can cause something like this to happen?bacteria?Germs?
Also one LAST question, does smoking "drugs" such as marijuana weaken the immune system making it easier to get infected by hsv?
I suspect this may be the case.
I suspect this may be the case.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Marijuana or other drugs aren't known to make anyone more susceptible to HSV, HIV, or any other STD--except to the extent that use may be associated with less careful or less responsible behavior.
I can't answer about the "yellow residue" and don't believe there is anything a provider could do in taking a swab that would leave your teeth discolored. First medical events happen when they happen; no problem at age 23 or any other age. The cause or causes of canker sores aren't known. Memory of injury or not, you might indeed have bitten the inside of your mouth to start it off; canker sores often appear at sites of trauma.
HHH, MD
I can't answer about the "yellow residue" and don't believe there is anything a provider could do in taking a swab that would leave your teeth discolored. First medical events happen when they happen; no problem at age 23 or any other age. The cause or causes of canker sores aren't known. Memory of injury or not, you might indeed have bitten the inside of your mouth to start it off; canker sores often appear at sites of trauma.
HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
