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Herpes: Herpes Simplex Virus
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In many instances, your doctor is able to make the diagnosis of herpes from physical appearance of the lesions and no tests are required. If your doctor is not 100% certain... then fluid from the blisters can be removed and tested for the herpes simplex virus. This can be done through viral cultures which is very accurate but generally takes 2 to 3 days to get the results and make an official diagnosis. Another more immediate, but less accurate, approach is to do a Tzanck test of the skin lesions. This involves taking a sample of fluid from the blisters, staining the fluid with a dye, and examining the stained fluid under the microscope looking for a characteristic appearance of the virus. Finally, there is a blood test that may be helpful for making a diagnosis, especially if herpes simplex is suspected but no symptoms are present or if a distinction between HSV-1 and HSV-2 is needed.
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Most people get herpes by having sex or direct skin to skin contact with someone who is has cold sores or blisters present. When the sores are present, it means that herpes simplex virus is active. Sometimes a person can have a herpes outbreak and have no visible sores at all. People usually get herpes by having sexual contact with others who don’t know they are infected or who are having outbreaks of herpes without any sores. A person with genital herpes ... can infect a sexual partner during oral sex. The virus is usually not spread by touching objects such as a toilet seat or hot tub.
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Genital herpes is a disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes oral herpes. Symptoms are commonly known as cold sores or fever blisters. In the past, HSV-1 was not known to cause genital herpes, but that is changing, especially among people who begin having sex at a young age.
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The two Herpes Simplex viruses, HSV-1 and HSV-2, look identical under the microscope, and either type can infect the mouth or genitals. Most commonly... HSV-1 occurs above the waist, and HSV-2 below.
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An infection by a herpes simplex virus is marked by watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes of the mouth, lips or genitals.[1] Lesions heal with a scab characteristic of herpetic disease. However, the infection is persistent and symptoms may recur periodically as outbreaks of sores near the site of original infection. After the initial, or primary, infection, HSV becomes latent in the cell bodies of nerves in the area. Some infected people experience sporadic episodes of viral reactivation, followed by transportation of the virus via the nerve's axon to the skin, where virus replication and shedding occurs.[2]
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There are two types of Herpes Simplex Virus. Both types can cause genital herpes and oral herpes. HSV type 1 usually infects the lips. When the lips are infected sores called fever blisters or cold sores are present. However, HSV type 1 can infect the genital area and produce sores there. Research has shown that between 50 to 80% of all Americans carry the antibodies to HSV-1.
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Herpes Simplex Virus