Low positive IGG result -- need guidance

[johndoe130]

Hi,

I have been in a committed relationship for over 15 years and am sad to say I strayed.  I visited a 'massage' parlor where a I received oral with a condom and then we had intercourse where she was on top.  It was brief, she started to grind her pelvis on top of me at which point I lost my erection.  It appeared as if the condom may have come off when she got off of me but I'm not sure.

4 weeks after the incident i had a full panel of STD tests run via stdcheck.com and came back negative except for a value of 1.5 for HSV-2 (HSV-1 was negative).  I don't believe I have ever been tested before so I have no baseline for comparison.  I waited 12 more days and repeated the test with the same lab and got a result of 1.7.

To my knowledge I have never had any  HSV-2 symptoms.  After the incident I was scanning myself pretty closely and did notice I was a little red in an area above my penis in the pubic hair area, but no bumps or anything like that.

I have been doing a lot of research online.  I believe (perhaps incorrectly) -
1. My risk of exposure was low due to this being one incident, with a condom in use
2. The low IGG value could be a. false positive, b. Indicative of a previous infection, c. Mean I am just starting to seroconvert from a new infection.

I suppose it is possible my partner and I are infected and just don't know it, but I have never had any symptoms so I believe B is unlikely.  I would rather not share this with my significant other as I deeply regret it and never plan to do this again, and don't want cause great havoc in our relationship.  That being said I don't want to put anyone at undue risk.

I realize that I can't get 100% clarification here but I was wondering -- if I get retested in 2 weeks, and get another low positive value would it be less likely that I am recently infected (logic being, antibody levels should be rising) or is that just hopeful thinking?

Thank you.

[WellinformedPerson]

I think if you infected by your recent encounter with the sex worker, you would have noticed obvious symptoms. Especially since you would've had no prior antibodies to "slow down" the new hsv2 infection. In addition, there is nothing about your encounter that suggests it was risky. You used a condom, which is very effective at protecting you from infection.

I am doubting your recent test results. With no history of prior outbreaks and a index value lower than 3.5, your results of 1.5 and 1.7 should be viewed with a good dose of skepticism. I do not think I would get another Elisa test.

I would get the Western blot done by either directly contacting University of Washington or contacting someone like Terri Warren and having her clinic order the test for you. If you go straight to the UW, you will need to order the kit from the UW, schedule an appointment to get your blood drawn with your primary care doctor or at a clinic, and then overnight the specimen to the UW and wait for results.

[johndoe130]

Thank you for your response.  I do I agree the results should be viewed with skepticism.  However, I have read that it is not uncommon for initial infections to not show symptoms.  Again, can't be 100% sure but really asking with a new infection would I expect a significant increase in antibody levels from 4 weeks test to 8 weeks test.

[feelingundone]

Terri closed her clinic.