Can you have herpes but test negative?

A negative (normal) test most often means you have not been infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2. If the infection occurred very recently (within a few weeks to 3 months), the test may be negative, but you may still be infected. This is called a false negative.

Can you have a false negative HSV blood test?

Test Results False negatives are not common with this type of test, but there’s still a chance that a negative result for HSV-1 or HSV-2 may not be accurate depending on the timing of your exposure.

What does reference range negative mean for herpes?

Less than 0.80: Negative. 0.80 – 0.99: Equivocal-Repeat in 10-14 days may be helpful. Greater than 0.99: Positive – May indicate a current or previous HSV infection. Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and/or 2 Antibodies, IgM. Less than 0.90: Negative.

How often are herpes tests wrong?

The widely available tests for herpes are famously inaccurate and can give false positives up to 50%. In some cases they can fail to detect the virus at all.

What is the most accurate herpes test?

Today, the most accurate test for asymptomatic herpes infections is a blood test. This blood test, called a serum antibody test, can detect both HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses. After you become infected with herpes, your body fights back against the virus by producing antibodies.

What is a low positive for HSV-2?

If HSV-2 IgG type specific antibodies patient results fall between 0.91 (equivocal) and 5.00 (low positive) index values, the specimen will reflex to HSV-2 supplemental test per CDC guidelines.

Can herpes be dormant and not show up in a blood test?

During the herpes incubation period, you may still test negative for the virus, as your body is building an immune response to the infection. If your immune system has not yet produced the antibodies, they won’t show up on an antibody test. This can lead you to believe that you don’t have the virus, even though you do.

Can herpes be dormant and test negative?

Can HSV-2 antibodies go away?

It may take between six and eight weeks to detect antibodies in a herpes blood test after first becoming infected with HSV. Also, antibodies may disappear with time, especially if the person has infrequent recurrences of herpes.

Why isn’t herpes a standard STD test?

The only accurate test for herpes is a culture of an active sore or ulcer. So, if you don’t have active symptoms, you shouldn’t get tested. Herpes is spread by skin-to-skin contact. It’s highly contagious and simply not that big of a deal.

What does a negative HSV IgM test mean?

A positive test result means that herpes IgM was detected in the sample. A negative result means that no IgM was detected. An equivocal test result means that the test was unable to determine whether or not there was an antibody present.