How to find out if you have Herpes Type 1 or 2

Herpes tests done to find the herpes simplex virus (HSV). An HSV infection can lead to small, painful sores that look like blisters on the skin or the tissue lining (mucous membranes) of the throat, nose, mouth, urethra, rectum and vagina. A herpes infection can only be a single outbreak of sores, but in many cases the person will have more outbreaks.

There are two types of HSV.

In rare cases, HSV can infect other parts of the body, such as the eyes and the brain.

Tests for HSV usually only done for sores in the genital area. In rare cases, the test can be done using other types of samples, such as spinal fluid, blood, urine or tears. To see if ulcers are caused by HSV, different types of tests can be done.

Herpes viral culture. Cells or fluid from a fresh sore are collected with a cotton swab and placed in a culture cup. A viral culture is the best method for identifying a genital herpes infection. But the culture often fails to find the virus even when it is present (false-negative results).Herpes virus Antigen detection test. Cells from a fresh sore are scraped off and then smeared on a microscope slide. This test finds markers (called antigens) on the surface of cells infected with the herpes virus. This test can be done with or in place of a viral culture.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A PCR test can be done on cells or fluid from a sore blood or other fluid, such as spinal fluid. PCR finds the genetic material (DNA) of the HSV virus. This test can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2. The PCR test is not often done on skin sores, but it is best for testing spinal fluid, for those rare cases where herpes infection in or around the brain may cause.Antibody Tests. Tests on the blood can find antibodies that are created by the immune system to fight a herpes infection. Antibody tests are sometimes done but are not as accurate as a viral culture on finding the cause of a specific sore or ulcer. Antibody tests cannot tell the difference between a current active herpes infection and a herpes infection that in the past. Because antibodies take time to develop after the initial infection, you do not have a positive antibody test if you recently have been infected. Some tests of the blood can tell the difference between HSV-1 and HSV-2.

It is believed that about half of the adults in the United States probably have herpes antibodies.

A herpes infection cannot be cured. After you use HSV infected, the virus remains in the body for life. The "hidden" in a specific type of nerve cell and causes more outbreaks of ulcers in some people. Recurring infections can be caused by stress, fatigue, sunlight or other infection, such as a cold or flu. Medicine can relieve the symptoms and length of the shorten outbreaks, but medicine cannot cure the infection.

A different herpes virus (called varicella zoster) causes chickenpox and shingles.

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