Week Two Case Studies Mariah McRae Advanced Pathophysiology

Week Two Case Studies Mariah McRae Advanced Pathophysiology

Case Study 1
A 20-year-old woman comes in concerned that she has genital herpes as she has been having
unprotected sex. She does not have any lesions but wants to be tested.
An antibody test is done and the results revealed the following:
HSV 1 IgG type-specific antibody: < 0.90 (negative)
HSV 2 IgG type-specific antibody: > 1.10 (positive)
1. How would you explain these results to her?
The results of the antibody test show that the woman does not have HSV 1, but that she does
have HSV 2. She has contracted HSV 2 through unprotected sex and is at risk of developing
genital herpes. There are two types of herpes simplex virus: HSV 1 and HSV 2. HSV 1 usually
causes cold sores or fever blisters around the mouth. HSV 2 usually causes genital herpes.
However, both types of HSV can cause infections in either area. The antibody test used looks for
antibodies to HSV 1 and HSV 2 in the tested person’s blood. Both HSV 1 and HSV 2 produce
their own specific antibodies, so the test can determine which type of HSV infection a person
has. For this patient, the results of the antibody test show that she does not have HSV 1 but does
have HSV 2. These results indicate that the woman has contracted HSV 2 through unprotected
sex and is at risk for developing genital herpes. I would also inform her that she is at danger of
passing the virus on to sexual partners.
2. Can you tell if this is a recent or past infection?
The results of the woman’s antibody test for HSV 2 were positive, indicating she was
infected with the virus at some point in the past. The HSV 2 IgG type-specific antibody test can