Performance of the HSV OligoGen kit for the diagnosis of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2

PCR methods are nowadays between the most rapid and sensitive methods for screening and diagnosing herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and 2. The aim of this study was to analyze the reliability, accuracy, and usefulness of the new assay HSV OligoGen kit in comparison with the Roche LightCycler HSV ½ Qual Kit assay for the detection of HSV in clinical samples. For this analysis, a prospective study was designed for detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 including 110 ulcer specimens, 48 urine, 48 endocervical, 43 cerebral spinal fluids, 4 urethral and 3 pharyngeal swabs that were sent from a regional STI clinic or an Intensive Clinical Unit, both in Seville, Spain. In comparison to the Roche LightCycler HSV ½ Qual Kit assay, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predicative values, and kappa value for HSV detection using the HSV OligoGen kit were 96.2%, 100%, 100%, 98.3%, and 0.97 for HSV-1, respectively. For HSV-2, the corresponding values were 98.3%, 100%, 100%, 99.5%, and 0.98, respectively. Statistical data obtained in this study confirms the usefulness and reliable results of this new assay.