[Question #7400] HSV-2 Equivocal Results
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57 months ago
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Hello, I am a 39 year old male and have tested twice with the Quest HSV-2 Type Specific ELISA. The first test was February 2018 and came back as equivocal 1.06. The second test was September 2020 and came back equivocal 1.00. What can be inferred from these test results. I have done a lot of research and seen a lot of conflicting information. How reliable is the Quest HSV-2 ELISA? Why would there be any presence of antibodies if negative?
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
57 months ago
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If you have tested in the equivocal range two years apart for HSV 2, I think it is extremely unlikely that you are infected with HSV 2. Some people have a protein in their blood, unrelated to HSV 2, that artificially trips the IgG test and sometimes even shows up as an indeterminate on the herpes western blot, the gold standard antibody test. The protein is not related to herpes but we don't know what it is related to, quite honestly. If you want a clearer answer, you could obtain the western blot for clarity.
Terri
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57 months ago
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How would I go about getting the western blot done? From my understanding there’s only one lab in Washington that does it
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Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner
57 months ago
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You can either work with your own provider to get this test in collaboration with the University of Washington or you can work with me at westoverheights.com The sample can only be run at UW but the blood can be drawn and shipped from anywhere.
Terri
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