Personal
Professional
Research
Personal Professional Research Sign Up Login Pro Login
Research HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec
Herpes Testing

HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec

Optimal Result: 0 - 0.91 index.

Herpes is a common viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). The virus exists as two main types, HSV-1 and HSV-2. 

HSV testing identifies the presence of the virus in a sample from a blister, sore or fluid to diagnose an active herpes infection or testing detects antibodies in the blood to determine previous exposure to herpes.

Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are contagious and periodically cause small fever blisters (vesicles) that break to form open lesions.

HSV-1 primarily causes blisters or "cold sores" around the mouth (non-genital sites).
HSV-2 usually causes lesions around the genital area.

However, both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can affect either the oral or genital areas.

The herpes simplex virus can be passed from person-to-person through skin contact while the sores are open and healing and sometimes when there are no visible sores. HSV-2 is the type most often spread during sex, but HSV-1 may also infect the genital area during oral sex.

Most people who have HSV-2 are unaware they are infected because signs and symptoms may be mild and go unnoticed.

When symptoms do appear, they may begin as painful blisters at the site of infection, usually within two weeks after infection.
- The blisters can appear around the mouth, in the vaginal area, on the penis, around the anus, or on the buttocks or thighs.
- The blisters generally heal within two to four weeks.

This primary episode can include a second outbreak of blisters and even flu-like symptoms such as fever and swollen glands. However, not everyone develops blisters and sometimes symptoms are so mild that they are unnoticeable or mistaken for something else, such as insect bites or a rash. Once you are infected and the initial infection resolves, the virus remains in your body in a latent form for the rest of your life. During periods of stress or illness, the virus may reactivate and you may have periodic outbreaks. People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS or those who have had an organ transplant, may have more frequent and serious outbreaks of HSV.

What about treatment:

There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral medications such as acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir can suppress outbreaks and shorten the duration of symptoms and active shedding of the virus.

Neonatal herpes:

Rarely, the virus can cause infections in newborns (neonatal herpes) when a mother transmits the virus to her baby during a vaginal delivery. Neonatal herpes symptoms appear during the first month of life. If left untreated, herpes can cause long-term health problems in the baby and can be life-threatening. A pregnant woman who has been diagnosed with herpes may be monitored regularly prior to delivery to detect a reactivation of her infection.

A HSV infection can spread to the brain, causing encephalitis. This illness can be fatal or cause serious, permanent neurological problems in those who survive.

Herpes may be tested a few different ways:

Direct detection of the virus: The preferred methods of testing for the virus in people with active blisters or sores are the herpes culture and HSV PCR testing. PCR testing is the preferred method if encephalitis or neonatal herpes are suspected.

HSV DNA PCR (NAAT): this method detects HSV genetic material in a sample from the blister, blood, or other fluid, such as spinal fluid. PCR can detect the virus as well as identify the type of herpes virus (HSV-1 or HSV-2). This method is more sensitive than culture and is becoming more widely available.

Herpes culture: a sample of fluid is collected from an open sore using a swab and cultured. If the culture is positive, the virus can be further identified as HSV-1 or HSV-2.

Antibody testing: HSV antibody (serologic) testing detects immune proteins called immunoglobulin G (IgG) in your blood that the body produces in response to a herpes infection. HSV antibody testing can detect both HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies as well as differentiate between them.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm

What does it mean if your HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec result is too high?

It can be difficult to decipher IgG and IgM results when performed together. It's important to remember that IgG antibodies take longer to produce but last a lifetime, while IgM antibodies are detectable after a few days but dissipate within a few weeks.

If you test positive for IgG but not IgM, you have probably been infected for at least two months. People with newer infections are more likely to test positive for IgG and IgM or just IgM alone.

Having positive IgG and IgM results doesn't necessarily mean that you were infected recently. In fact, between 30 and 70 percent of people with recurrent infections will test positive for IgM, according to a 2014 review published in the Virology Journal. [L]

--------------------------

If you test positive for IgG and IgM, or just IgM, it's likely that you have a new infection.

If you test positive for IgG but not IgM, you likely have an existing infection that has been around for at least two months.

--------------------------

A positive result for HSV 2 Glycoprotein G Ab, IgG indicates the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies specific to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). IgG antibodies develop in response to a previous HSV-2 infection. This suggests that the individual has been exposed to the HSV-2 virus at some point. The presence of these antibodies doesn't necessarily indicate a current active infection, but rather a past exposure.

IgG testing is commonly used to determine a person's herpes infection status and is more accurate than IgM testing. IgM antibodies are typically associated with recent infections, while IgG antibodies are indicative of a more established immune response. It's important to interpret the results in conjunction with clinical symptoms and medical history, as well as consulting a healthcare professional for accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.

Genital Herpes Management:

Antiviral medication offers clinical benefits to symptomatic patients and is the mainstay of management. The goals for use of antiviral medications to treat genital herpes infection are to treat or prevent symptomatic genital herpes recurrences and improve quality of life and suppress the virus to prevent transmission to sexual partners. Counseling regarding the natural history of genital herpes, risks for sexual and perinatal transmission, and methods for reducing transmission is also integral to clinical management.

Systemic antiviral drugs can partially control the signs and symptoms of genital herpes when used to treat first clinical and recurrent episodes or when used as daily suppressive therapy. However, these drugs neither eradicate latent virus nor affect the risk, frequency, or severity of recurrences after the drug is discontinued. Randomized trials have indicated that three FDA-approved antiviral medications provide clinical benefit for genital herpes: acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir. Valacyclovir is the valine ester of acyclovir and has enhanced absorption after oral administration, allowing for less frequent dosing than acyclovir. Famciclovir also has high oral bioavailability. Topical therapy with antiviral drugs offers minimal clinical benefit and is discouraged.

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a highly-personalized health dashboard.

Instead of searching for your lab results in different places or tracking them down from different providers, Healthmatters houses, organizes, and interprets them all in one central location.

With a Healthmatters account, you can dive into the details of each biomarker and gain insights into the meaning behind your medical test data, anytime, anywhere.

For our professional users, Healthmatters provides intuitive tools that not only streamline analysis but also save valuable time when delving into your client's lab report history.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.

It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.

If you’re on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.

There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."

Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.

For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.

We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.

Our special data entry service makes it easy to add your results to your private dashboard. Just attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and our skilled data entry team will do the work for you. It's all done by humans, ensuring that your data is entered accurately and with personal care for each client.

Depending on your account, the data entry service can be included for free or come at an additional cost of $15 per report.

For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.

Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.

Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.

The Unlimited plan is a one-time purchase for $250, and it covers your account for a lifetime with no additional payments.

For the Complete plan, the cost is $15 per month. You have the flexibility to cancel it anytime through your account settings, ensuring no further payments. To avoid charges, remember to cancel at least a day before the renewal date. Once canceled, the subscription remains active until the end of the current billing cycle.

Additionally, you can upgrade to the yearly Advanced plan from within your account. The annual cost is $79, and it comes with a data entry service for five reports.

You can always upgrade to a lifetime version with a prorated price from a monthly or yearly subscription.

Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.

Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.

We’ve crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.

1. Graph View:

Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.

2. All Tests View

Explore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.

3. Table View:

For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.

Yes, you can download information from your account. We can compile your labs into a CSV file. To download all your labs, you can go to Account Settings, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to download your information.

Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.

Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.

Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.

A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.

The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.

To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

Navigate to Herpes Testing

Popular search

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 (IgG), Type-Specific Antibodies, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 (IgM), Type-Specific Antibodies, Herpesvirus 6 IGG (HHV-6), Herpesvirus 6 IGM (HHV-6), HHV 6 IgG Antibodies, HSV 1 IgG, Type Spec, HSV 1 IgM Antibodies, HSV 2 IgG Inhibition, IA, HSV 2 IgG, Type Spec, HSV 2 IGG, TYPE SPECIFIC AB, HSV 2 IgM Antibodies, Human Herpes Virus 6 PCR, Human Herpes Virus Type 6 IgM