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Oral hsv 2
Recently diagnosed with hsv 2 oral. Lesion appeared on tongue a few days after performing oral sex. Swabbed at gum clinic and hsv 2 positive. How likely am I to suffer recurrences and also how likely to transfer to someone via kissing etc? Would it need to be a passionate kiss or could it transfer to my kids or something if I kiss them?
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you would've had symptoms within 3 weeks of the encounter genitally/anally if you had contracted it there also. sounds like the protected anal sex protected you :)
Was the test positive explicitly for HSV2, or did it say HSV detected or isolated?
They swabbed for both and that was what returned positive. Didn't ask to many questions of the dr. Why you ask - Are you able to provide some insight into hsv2 when oral?
I have little to no knowledge of UK testing for herpes. My understanding though was that the free service in the GUM clinic tested only for the presence of HSV, meaning it could be 1 or 2. Given it is a GUM clinic that focuses mainly on STIs of the genital region then they may automatically assume HSV2 rather than subtyping the original culture sample. 12 days though is enough to explicitly type a sample, hence if you explicitly saw HSV1 negative and HSV2 positive, detected or isolated then that is what it is.
Have you spoken to the person who you performed oral sex on?
The good news is that oral HSV2 is not very infectious at all. Most tests that involve swabbing of people with oral HSV2 do not detect shedding at all such that the estimate of about 1% of days in a year when it does shed is a rough estimate that is probably high. Most of those days will involve too little of the virus to be infectious such that practically you need sores to be infectious.
I would still confirm the diagnosis with blood testing after 12 weeks and maybe confirm that the partner is HSV2 positive.
Have you spoken to the person who you performed oral sex on?
The good news is that oral HSV2 is not very infectious at all. Most tests that involve swabbing of people with oral HSV2 do not detect shedding at all such that the estimate of about 1% of days in a year when it does shed is a rough estimate that is probably high. Most of those days will involve too little of the virus to be infectious such that practically you need sores to be infectious.
I would still confirm the diagnosis with blood testing after 12 weeks and maybe confirm that the partner is HSV2 positive.
I imagine it applies to the area reached by the trigemenal nerve ganglion, which is basically the front half sphere of your skull stopping in front of the ears.
No, I don't have a medical background, I just have herpes!
Look up studies on HSV2 shedding and you will find some that cover oral HSV2.
Did the GUM clinic truly type the HSV sample? Or make an assumption? Have you spoken with the partner concerned?
HSV2 is very weak outside the genital area, it is tuned very acutely to the nature of nerves in this region. It finds it difficult to activate in other nerve ganglions around the body. HSV1 seem to travel much better. (As you can tell, this is why I'm urging you to be sure this is HSV2 and not HSV1).
It is virtually impossible for you to infect someone without a lesion. Genitals would be more at risk than mouths. Adult mouths have seemingly more protection against HSV than genitals and many have HSV1 already.
I do not understand your comment about oral HSV2 when genital is present. This happens so rarely as to make a study of it extremely difficult to undertake. You just wouldn't find enough participants. I think I do know the study you are referring to though where they swabbed mouths and genitals. I don't believe there were many if any that swabbed positive for both oral and genital for HSV2.
Look up studies on HSV2 shedding and you will find some that cover oral HSV2.
Did the GUM clinic truly type the HSV sample? Or make an assumption? Have you spoken with the partner concerned?
HSV2 is very weak outside the genital area, it is tuned very acutely to the nature of nerves in this region. It finds it difficult to activate in other nerve ganglions around the body. HSV1 seem to travel much better. (As you can tell, this is why I'm urging you to be sure this is HSV2 and not HSV1).
It is virtually impossible for you to infect someone without a lesion. Genitals would be more at risk than mouths. Adult mouths have seemingly more protection against HSV than genitals and many have HSV1 already.
I do not understand your comment about oral HSV2 when genital is present. This happens so rarely as to make a study of it extremely difficult to undertake. You just wouldn't find enough participants. I think I do know the study you are referring to though where they swabbed mouths and genitals. I don't believe there were many if any that swabbed positive for both oral and genital for HSV2.
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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.
