A herpes infection is primarily manifested by the typical blisters. In addition, there may be signs such as itching, burning, pain during urination and sexual intercourse, and a watery discharge. Encrusted blisters indicate an outbreak of the disease that occurred several days ago. In most cases, this history is sufficient to initiate therapy.
In the next step, a smear is taken from the vesicle to identify the pathogen. Following this, a blood sample is taken to determine whether antibodies against the herpes virus are present in the blood. This is true in the case of a herpes infection.
If a brain infection is suspected, the cerebrospinal fluid can be examined for the genetic material of the herpes virus DNA.
This step is necessary to be able to diagnose encephalitis with certainty.
This list should serve as a guideline for the treatment of your herpes disease:
Medical history and examination
Smear test
Laboratory tests
Related diseases