The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) have approved a new instrument developed by BD Diagnostics for the diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV1 and HSV2) in patients with symptoms. The tool will aid the diagnosis of both strands of the virus and serve to differentiate between them with the use of external anogenital samples in the hope of decreasing the spread of one of the most common STIs of today.
Being able to find out whether the patient has a type I or type II infection is the first imperative step. Generally speaking, HSV1 is responsible for cold sores (mouth and lips) and HSV2 is responsible for genital herpes (although it is possible to have symptoms in the genital area caused by HSV1). These tests have proved much more accurate than existing culture methods and results are achieved much more rapidly, for example, laboratories will be able to read approximately 96 tests within a two and half hour period.
Such advancements are vital in the area of herpes considering that since its emergence as a serious sexual health risk in the 70’s, the number of cases have steadily increased. There are more than 30,000 new cases each year reported at sexual health clinics around Britain. Some people walk around with the virus and are asymptomatic, meaning that the risk of spreading the virus is high as they do not know that they have it. With more efficient means of testing and higher level of public awareness, the number of cases of infection will hopefully decrease in time.