Herpes 1&2 IgG Abs, Remote exposure

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is responsible for several clinically significant human viral diseases, with severity ranging from inapparent to fatal. Clinical manifestations include genital tract infections, neonatal herpes, meningoencephalitis, keratoconjunctivitis, and gingivostomatitis.

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a common viral infection. It typically has 2 strains, HSV-1, the oral form which causes “cold sores”, and HSV-2, which is the sexually transmitted strain that causes genital lesions. The importance of getting tested for herpes is that, sometimes, one might not experience any symptoms at all, and therefore, spread the virus without realizing they are infected. This test measures the presence of IgG antibodies against both strains of HSV in the blood. IgG antibodies against HSV start to rise after several weeks of initial infection. At a point when the infection has been resolved, the level of IgG antibodies plateaus. IgG, along with IgM are useful in determining whether there is active HSV disease or if there was previous exposure to the virus.

There are two HSV serotypes that are closely related antigenically. HSV Type 2 is more commonly associated with genital tract and neonatal infections, while HSV Type 1 is more commonly associated with infections of non-genital sites.

This test is performed in following conditions such as:

• Fever
• Cold sores
• Genital ulcers/blisters
• Severe persistent headache
• A stiff neck
• Sensitivity to light
• Mental changes
• Lethargy

Also Known As: HSV 1&2