HSV false Positive

Creating this sub for people to share their experiences with a false positive hsv 1 or 2 test. My goal is to try and find some idea as to what causes false positives…

copy and pasted the following from cdc website

•Why are false positive tests an argument against routine testing for genital herpes, but not for other STIs, which can also have false positives? -False positive test results show that a person has an infection or condition when they do not. This can happen with many kinds of diagnostic tests. However, the chance of a false positive herpes test result is much higher than when testing for STIs like chlamydia or gonorrhea. This is because current herpes tests are not as exact as tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea.

•The most commonly used test, HerpeSelect HSV-2 enzyme immunoassay (EIA), often is falsely positive at low index values (1.1–3.0) (457–457). One study reported an overall specificity of 57.4%, with a specificity of 39.8% for index values of 1.1–2.9 (458). Because of the poor specificity of commercially available type-specific EIAs, particularly with low index values (<3.0), a confirmatory test.

With this being said do your due diligence and get a confirmation test, especially in the low positive range.

Here’s my story…

I went and got a 10 panel std test 9/25/23 through quest thinking nothing of it (I had an annoying itchiness on my scrotum and perinium but no bumps, lesions, rash, etc) fast forward a week and I went to check my results… nothing. This was odd I thought since usually when I tested through my doctors office I’d get results with 5 days. So I called and the representative told me all my tests were back except for one that was pending. I asked him to send me all the results that were completed and he did. I’m looking through and everything was negative except for HSV2. It stated “positive 1.46H”. Directly below it read

“Occasionally, a positive HSV2 IgG test may not confirm with the inhibition study. Advise waiting for the inhibition test result before initiating therapy or guidance. This assay utilizes recombinant type-specific antigens to differentiate HSV-1 from HSV-2 infections. A positive result cannot distinguish between recent and past infection. If recent HSV infection is suspected but the results are negative or equivocal, the assay should be repeated in 4-6 weeks. The performance characteristics of the assay have not been established for pediatric populations, immunocompromised patients, or neonatal screening”

I panicked. I was like wow I have genital herpes. How am I going to tell my partner? How did this happen? What did I do? I couldn’t eat or sleep. I sent my primary care doctor my results and 3 days later he reached out at 9pm and said “it appears that you’re positive since your last test on 4/23/23 was negative. So I freaked out even more because he’s the doctor and he’s supposed to know everything. I had some hope that it was a false positive but for some reason I was stuck on this narrative that I had it bc the original test said so. I was in a dark place. I called quest daily until the confirmation test came back and it was NEGATIVE. I was so happy but in disbelief. The results were right there I called and had the clinic confirm that I was negative, twice.

A few weeks pass - I set up a call with Terri Warren (western blot lady) she tells me to go with the inhibition results it had good agreement with the western blot. I asked her what causes false positives and why doctors were so uneducated on it. She didn’t have an answer. But stated that I may have picked up some antibody (cold, flu, bug, etc) that was triggering a false positive on the IGG test. So I asked her if I tested again with the basic IGG test then I would probably test positive again. She said it was likely - unless the body gets rid of the antibody. This is why I believe everyone should get a confirmation test.

A couple variables that I believe could’ve cause a false positive… (not a doctor, just spitballing)

  • I had gotten a flu vaccine a few days before test
  • I was under an extreme amount of stress and had some type of cold
  • recently got eczema or psoriasis (dermatologist doesn’t know which - the itchy scrotum was apparently one of these as well)

Anyway, please share your story and what you think could be the reason for getting a false positive.