Genital Herpes (Herpes Simplex Virus)

1996 Case Definition

Clinical description

A condition characterized by visible, painful genital or anal lesions

Laboratory criteria for diagnosis

• Isolation of herpes simplex virus from cervix, urethra, or anogenital lesion, or
• Demonstration of virus by antigen detection technique in clinical specimens from cervix, urethra, or anogenital lesion, or
• Demonstration of multinucleated giant cells on a Tzanck smear of scrapings from an anogenital lesion

Case classification

Probable: a clinically compatible case (in which primary and secondary syphilis have been excluded by appropriate serologic tests and darkfield microscopy, when available) with either a diagnosis of genital herpes based on clinical presentation (without laboratory confirmation) or a history of one or more previous episodes of similar genital lesions

Confirmed: a clinically compatible case that is laboratory confirmed

Comment

Genital herpes should be reported only once per patient. The first diagnosis for a patient with no previous diagnosis should be reported.

See also:

• 1990 Case Definition

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