Ashley-Morrow R, Krantz E, Wald A. Sex Transm Dis 2003;30:310-314.

BACKGROUND: HerpeSelect HSV-1 and HSV-2 ELISAs are glycoprotein G-based, type-specific antibody detection tests that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for diagnosis of genital herpes. GOAL: The goal was to determine seroconversion times by means of HerpeSelect ELISAs. STUDY DESIGN: Four-hundred and thirteen sera from 113 patients with recently acquired genital herpes were tested by HerpeSelect ELISAs and Western blot (WB). Thirty-one patients had primary genital HSV-1 (group 1), 56 had primary HSV-2 (group 2), and 26 had prior HSV-1 antibodies and newly acquired HSV-2 (group 3). RESULTS: Median interval from onset of symptoms to seroconversion was 25 days, as determined by HerpeSelect HSV-1, versus 33 days by WB for group 1; 21 days by HerpeSelect HSV-2 versus 40 days by WB (group 2; P = 0.0005); and 23 days by HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA versus 47 days by WB (group 3; P = 0.02). In long-term follow-up, transient reversion to HerpeSelect negativity occurred in three of 31 HSV-1-infected subjects (10%) and in two of 82 HSV-2-infected subjects (2%). CONCLUSION: Seroconversion to HSV-2 was determined faster by HerpeSelect than by WB.