Herpes viral culture of lesion - Risks
Alternative Names
Culture - herpes simplex virus; Herpes simplex virus culture
What the risks are:
Risks include slight bleeding or infection in the area where the skin sample was removed.
Special considerations:
The viral culture for herpes test is most likely to be accurate when a person is newly infected (during the first outbreak).
- Reviewed last on: 9/13/2009
- Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, WA; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
References
Gupta R, Warren T, Wald A. Genital herpes. Lancet. 2007; 370(9605):2127-37.