Laboratory professionals should recommend type-specific gG-based serology tests to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of genital herpes infections.

As the clinical diagnosis of HSV is not sensitive or specific enough for a definitive diagnosis, healthcare providers rely on the laboratory to provide accurate diagnostic test results and information.

Laboratories should offer both viral culture and blood serology tests.

Viral culture is the gold standard test for detecting HSV in new lesions and a positive culture result is generally reliable. But culture alone is often unreliable in patients with recurrent infection or healing lesions and up to 70% of culture results can be falsely negative.

Serology tests provide physicians with the information they need to accurately diagnosis HSV infections.

Serology is critical when:

• Lesions are negative or not sampled for virus
• Symptoms suggest atypical or undiagnosed herpes
• Lesions appear herpetic but may have other etiology

Type-specific serology tests provide physicians with the information they need to establish treatment options and provide appropriate patient counseling.

• Type-specific serology can accurately differentiate HSV type-1 from HSV type-2. Both HSV type-1 and HSV type-2 can cause genital herpes infection.
• During pregnancy, type-specific serology can identify women at risk of acquiring genital HSV type-1 or HSV type-2 infections close to term.
• Treatment recommendations may vary based upon type-specificity as outbreak frequency is often higher with HSV type-2 genital infections than with HSV type-1 infections.
• Patient counseling may vary based upon type-specificity:
  • prognosis and status of sexual health
  • risk of transmission to partner
  • risk of acquiring genital herpes during pregnancy/transmission to baby
  • behavior modification

Laboratory professionals should make sure that the serology tests they offer are glycoprotein G, (gG), type-specific serology.

Some serology tests claim type-specificity, but most do not accurately differentiate HSV type-1 antibodies from HSV type-2 antibodies. Healthcare Providers depend on their lab to offer the best test available. There are several ways you can tell if the kit you offer is gG type-specific:

• Look in the kit insert for confirmation that the kit is FDA-cleared for type-specificity.
• The kit manufacturer offers two separate kits for HSV type-1 and HSV type-2 detection and specifies that they incorporate gG-based technology.
• Visit this website ( www.herpesdiagnosis.com/blood.html ) for a specific list of kits that do not utilize gG-based technology.

HerpeSelect is the first gG type-specific serology test for both HSV type-1 and HSV type-2 to be FDA-cleared for both pregnant mothers and sexually active adults.

HerpeSelect is the only gG-based kit FDA-cleared for use on automated platforms to assist in improving laboratory workflow and efficiency.

HerpeSelect has been used to perform type-specific HSV testing throughout laboratories in the US since February, 2000.

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