#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES HOW TO#
#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES CODE#
#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES PROFESSIONAL#

HSV is highly contagious and can be transmitted via any type of physical contact. There are two subtypes, HSV-1 and HSV-2, that are known to cause a variety of symptoms, ranging from acute to chronic. UW Virology lab catalog available here.Herpes is a widespread viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) that has no permanent cure to date. Herpes Diagnosis: Learn more about University of Washington Western BlotĪdditional guidance from University of Washington to order a Western Blot is available here. There are no numbers associated with these results. The possible results are positive, negative or indeterminate. Results usually take 1-2 weeks, and sometimes longer. STEP 5: Your provider will contact you with your results! The laboratory that draws your blood can usually ship it the kit after they have processed your sample. Patients will need to purchase a pre-paid shipping label from UPS or FedEx to ship the sample to UW. STEP 4: Ship blood sample, completed form and a check for payment to University of Washington. To confirm your herpes diagnosis from an HSV expert, contact Westover Heights Clinic for support with this process from anywhere in the United States. Patients who need a health care provider can work with your own physician. The required lab requisition form will be included in the UW kit. Patients need to identify a health care provider to fill out a form and order this test. STEP 3: A physician or health care provider fills out a form for University of Washington. Check with your local hospital lab or your own health care provider! YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL OUT PATIENT LAB: A hospital lab may be able to draw blood using the WB kit.

#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES CODE#

They currently do not offer any confirmatory testing for Herpes.īelow is a list of labs to go to for a blood draw.Īny Lab Test Now: ARCpoint lab will draw and ship with a label.ĪRCpoint laboratories: They will also draw blood for a feeand you can enter your zip code in their website for a lab location near you. NOTE: LabCorp and Quest WILL NOT draw blood to ship for testing to Univ. The location chosen must include a centrifuge to spin down the blood sample to separate the red cells from the clear serum.

#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES PROFESSIONAL#

The patient (and/or healthcare professional needs to identify a location to draw and process their blood sample. STEP 2: BLOOD DRAW: Drawing of blood for testing. Washington) or it’s contents on the packaging. The kit comes in an anonymous brown cardboard box and says nothing about the sender (Univ. The package contains blood draw and transport tubes, lab instructions, lab requisition form, labels for the outside of the packaging, address to ship back to the University of Washington. Washington, can do so by taking the following steps: Order Herpes Testing with University of Washington Western Blot How do I confirm a herpes diagnosis? Read how here. Patients and professionals wanting to order Western Blot directly from Univ. There is no such thing as a false positive WB. This makes the Western Blot test a much more comprehensive look for evidence of HSV infection. While the initial IgG test looks for a single antibody protein to distinguish and identify HSV-1 and HSV-2, the WB looks for all of the proteins associated with herpes antibody. The UW Western Blot is widely considered the gold standard for herpes antibody testing. The WB test is not FDA-approved, needs to be ordered directly from UW, and a blood sample sent directly to their academic lab for processing. To access confirmatory testing and confirm a herpes diagnosis – patients will need to order the Western Blot (WB) from the University of Washington.

#WESTERN BLOT TEST FOR HERPES HOW TO#

This two-step process has been recommended per the CDC guidelines because currently available diagnostic IgG antibody tests are so often false negative/positive.Īvailability of the confirmatory test (the second step test) is limited and many providers do not know how to take steps to order the confirmatory testing for patients. Meaning once the initial IgG antibody test is performed, a follow-up confirmatory test is recommended. Most often, false positive results are found in the index value range of 1.1 to 5.0 but IgG false positives can be as high as 17.Īs a result, CDC guidelines call for TWO STEP testing to confirm a herpes diagnosis. Tests can also have false negative results. Testing for herpes is complicated and can be confusing in America.Ĭurrently available, FDA-approved IgG antibody tests sometimes present with false positive results where the test says you are infected with HSV and you are not.

Western blot test for herpes