Underdiagnosis of Genital Herpes by Current Clinical and Viral-Isolation Procedures

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 326; no. 23; pp. 1533 - 1539
• Main Authors: Koutsky, Laura A, Stevens, Claire E, Holmes, King K, Ashley, Rhoda L, Kiviat, Nancy B, Critchlow, Cathy W, Corey, Lawrence
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 04-06-1992
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies; Anus Diseases - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Birth control; Colposcopy; False Negative Reactions; Female; Gangrene; Genital Diseases, Female - etiology; Genitalia; Genitalia, Female - microbiology; Genitourinary tract; Health care; Health risk assessment; Herpes Genitalis - diagnosis; Herpes simplex; herpes simplex virus 1; herpes simplex virus 2; Herpes viruses; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human papillomavirus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulins; Infections; Infectious diseases; Laboratories; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Papanicolaou Test; Physical Examination; Rectal Diseases - etiology; Recurrent infection; Sensitivity and Specificity; Serologic Tests; Sexually transmitted diseases; Simplexvirus - isolation & purification; STD; Subclinical infection; Syphilis; Ulcer - etiology; Ulcers; Uterine Cervical Diseases - etiology; Vaginal Smears; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the genital and urinary system; Vulvar Diseases - etiology; Women; Infection; Human; Herpes; Diagnosis; Viral disease; Female genital diseases
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199206043262305

SEVERAL studies have described the clinical signs and symptoms of persons who present to referral or research clinics with classic genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection.
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The full clinical spectrum of genital herpes in sexually active adults has not been well defined, however. Undiagnosed symptomatic genital lesions and subclinical episodes of viral shedding in the genitourinary tract have been shown to be important factors in the sexual transmission of HSV infection.
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This study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations and clinical and laboratory diagnosis of urogenital and anal HSV infection in sexually active young women presenting to a sexually . . .