Hello,
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
I understand your concern.
In that case there are two possibilities. The first one being that the first report was false positive. Normally HSV-1/2 are both chronic and even if they are not in active stage the antibody test will be positive.
But sometimes what can happen is there will be a very mild attack ( 30 % of the adult population gets it at some point of time with just a couple of mouth sores ) and at that point if HSV is checked it comes out to be positive. Subsequently on taking medicines or after a few days due to natural immunity it heals and disappears from blood stream to make the test equivocal or negative.
Hope this was helpful,
Regards,
Patient replied :
Hello,
How to be I sure that I am free from Herpes. From childhood I experience mouth sores and when I visited GP I was having rashes on my thighs and my penis veins were swelled and after examaniation doctor says you have fungus and your veins would be normal after some time but due to my recent expouser he advise me to get tested for STD. In a report my test return positive and after eating antivirual medicines which was advise by a separate doctor and due to acidity in my stomach I experience mouth sores at 3rd day with motions.
I have 2 negative reports of myself and 1 of my wife with whom I was sexually active after being exposed with some service girl and right before I feel something wrong with my gentials and thighs.
Hello,
Thank you for the follow up.
With a history of mouth sores and rash and swollen penis, the herpes diagnosis seems accurate.
However it is not present through out your lifetime with outbreaks. Hence probably after the medicine, you turned equivocal.
But outbreaks can occur in the future in periods of stress or other concurrent infections.
Regards.
Patient replied :
I didn't said I have a history of swelled penis and rashes. I meant to say I experience mouth ulcers whenever I share glasses or spoons from friends or family members since my childhood.
I still have almost same symtoms except swelled penis and with symtoms I repeated the test and it turns negative.
I have attached three reports:
- Report 1 is initial report which is +ve
- Report 2 is a repeat test at 5th day after taking antiviral medicine
- Report 3 is repeated after 3-4 weeks of taking antiviral medicine but with mild symtoms of allery at penis and fungus at inner thighs.
See, IgG is an antibody which is present for lifetime, once an infection has occured.
If IgM is negative that means there is no current infectiom.
Since there are 2 IgG negative reports, and one positive with such an margin, in all probability it was false positive.
As of now you should not worry about herpes.
But I will still request you to get yourself examined by a dermatologist who can examine you locally.
Regards.
Patient replied :
I visited 2 dermatologist both said your current symtoms are not herpes but they are unsure about the reports and no one give me a clearance.
Yes the reports are definitely confusing.
However with no symptoms and 2 negative reports, I will say the first one was false positive.
So please wait for a month and get retested to be 100 % confident about the reports.
Regards.