title: Serologic screening for herpes simplex virus type 2 in persons with human immunodeficiency virus.
abstract: Screening for subclinical herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) may be a useful adjunct in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care. However, HSV-2 serological tests have been suggested to perform less well in HIV-infected populations. In this study, HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA was compared with the Sure-Vue Rapid HSV-2 Test for HSV-2 screening of sera from 310 HIV-infected persons receiving care at an HIV-dedicated clinic in the Southeastern United States. In the study, assay agreement and whether the performance of both tests, rather than 1 test alone, would improve screening accuracy were determined. Overall percent test agreement was 96%. Negative percent agreement was best at a HerpeSelect index value <0.90 and positive percent agreement was best at a HerpeSelect index value ≥3.0 (97% and 100%, respectively). Using the manufacturer's established cutoffs for a HerpeSelect positive test result versus negative test result, discordant results between assays occurred in 4% of the cases, and the majority of these cases occurred when the HerpeSelect index value was between 0.9 and 2.9. These data suggest a good correlation between the HerpeSelect and the Sure-Vue HSV-2 Rapid Test in a U.S. HIV-infected population and suggest that confirmatory testing may not help in HSV-2 diagnosis except in cases where HerpeSelect index values are between 0.9 and 3.0.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. nvw@uab.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Van Wagoner
authors.forename: Rhoda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Hook
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult