Diagnosing the Herpes Simplex virus

The Herpes Simplex Virus, or HSV, is the cause of the skin diseases that are commonly called oral herpes or genital herpes. Oral herpes and genital herpes are caused by two different strains of the virus. Type I of the herpes simplex virus causes infection usually restricted to the upper part of the body above the waistline. The most commonly affected area in the case of the type I herpes simplex virus is the region surrounding the mouth, usually near the margins of the upper and lower lips, which is why it is called oral herpes, among other names like cold sores and fever blisters. On the other hand, type II of the herpes simplex virus usually infects the skin in the lower part of the body, below the waistline. The most commonly infected areas in this case are the groin region, the skin around the anus and the skin on the inner thighs.

The diagnosis of herpes is a clinical diagnosis. It is generally based on the appearance of the lesions, but a clinical examination will include tests to verify its identity and separate it from other causes of other oral infections that have similar symptoms. A variety of tests including a viral culture can be used to help in the diagnosis of a herpes infection.

For both these clinical tests, a specimen of the herpes simplex virus needs to be obtained from active blisters, i.e. blisters that still have the clear liquid in them. If the liquid has dried up, and there are only scabs left in its place, the specimen required for these tests will not be available on the surface of the skin. This means that for the purpose of this test, a specimen of the herpes simplex virus is required within the first 48 hours of the appearance of the blisters.

Once this specimen has been obtained, it can be used to create a culture in laboratory and this culture can then be tested to verify the identity the particular strain of the herpes simplex virus. This process will take at least three to four days to be able provide any conclusive report on the identity of the strain.

On the other hand, there is another process that can help identify the strain of the herpes simplex virus. It is possible to know the DNA of a particular strain of virus using a test called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), hence establishing the identity of the strain of the herpes simplex virus.

In the case of the herpes simplex virus, doing blood tests is not an effective way of identifying the infection. This is because if a person has ever got a herpes simplex infection his life, his body would have created antibodies to counter the impact of the virus, and these antibodies would be present in his blood long after the infection has occurred. The presence of herpes antibodies is not necessarily a sign of present infection, merely an indication that the person has contracted the herpes simplex infection at least once in his or her lifetime.