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Performance and use of HSV type-specific serology test kits
1Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. rashle@chmc.org
Herpes : the Journal of the IHMF
|July 11, 2002
Summary
New herpes simplex virus (HSV) antibody tests offer diagnostic options for genital herpes. This review details three FDA-licensed kits, aiding clinicians in selecting appropriate tests for accurate diagnosis and patient management.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-specific serology is crucial for diagnosing genital herpes and identifying asymptomatic infections.
- Accurate serological tests aid in understanding HSV etiology and managing patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize the performance data of three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed HSV serology tests.
- To guide clinicians in selecting and interpreting results from available HSV antibody detection kits.
Main Methods:
- Review of performance data for Diagnology's POCkittrade mark HSV-2, Focus Technologies' HerpeSelect ELISA, and Focus Technologies' HerpeSelect Immunoblot.
- Analysis of test characteristics, including point-of-care, laboratory-based, and immunoblot formats.
Main Results:
- Three distinct FDA-licensed HSV antibody tests are available, catering to different clinical settings and throughput needs.
- The review provides data interpretation guidelines and outlines scenarios for follow-up testing.
Conclusions:
- Clinicians have diverse options for HSV-2 antibody testing, from point-of-care to high-throughput laboratory assays.
- Understanding test performance and interpretation is key to accurate diagnosis and effective management of genital herpes.