IgG numbers high or low - what does it mean? - Herpes Message Board

smartypants68 · 05-15-2006, 07:47 PM

With the IgG numbers, does having a higher number (HSV2 - 7.3) have any significant meaning? Do your numbers go up when you're close to having an OB? Does it mean it's been in your system longer, so you've built up more antibodies? Any info would be great. I've searched the boards but didn't see any info specific to this question.

Thanks!

over21 · 05-16-2006, 07:39 AM

The HerpeSelect ELISA numeric result is just a number, it doesn't reflect how many ob's you'll get in a year or the level of infection, or likelihood of passing to someone else. Meaning a 4.1 is no different than a 7.3, they're both positive. The same idea goes for negatives; additionally, values will never be zero, values below .90 are referred to "background noise" to the testing procedure. A .57 on a first test and .23 on a second test doesn't mean you're less negative. They are both clearly negative.

A positive value doesn't determine how long you've had the virus, however, what I have seen posted is a number like 7.3 is a good indication it is NOT a recent infection within the last 4 months. Do not accept this last sentence as fact.

And don't use the IgM test to determine when infection might have occured. Studies have shown these IgM antibodies, which are not specific to the herpes virus, will show up for recurring outbreaks 35% of the time. A positive IgM test is not proof that you have the virus, and a negative IgM test is not proof that you don't have the virus.