The adult population might finally receive a reprieve from herpes outbreaks, or at least help containing and treating the viral disease with the first commercially available PCR-based test for both herpes.
The test allows, for the first time, for the virus to be detected before sores have developed and even before antibodies have been produced. Prior to the new test, the best form of rapid testing was based on antibodies, which for the adult population don't develop fast enough to prevent widespread contamination. Antibodies don't develop until the virus has already reached transmission stage which is too late for people as sexually active as those in the adult community.
AIM's Sharon Mitchell was ecstatic about the new test. "Previously we've really had – let me rephrase that – no reliable tests for this virus for the adult population," the AIM co-founder said.
Herpes Simplex-2 virus, better known as genital herpes, isn't generally lethal, but is characterized by recurrent clusters of vesicles and lesions at the genital areas.
"Obviously no one in their right mind is fucking with an outbreak, it is highly painful and visible to the camera and to partners. With this new PCR for HSV1 and HSV2, we can screen the population monthly or several times per year, and medicate presumptively, per shoot," Mitchell said, noting that once you have herpes stays in a body in a dormant state even with medication.
The virus enters the ganglia, clusters of nerve cells, where it is inactive. From time to time, the virus reactivates, and an infected person breaks out with sores again. The new PCR-based test for herpes is the first test that can actually sense the recurrence before the transmission period.
The new test was developed as a joint project by Roche Diagnostics and Mayo Clinic, who are best known to the public at large for jointly developing an anthrax test in the post-9/11 environment.
For the adult entertainment community, Roche Diagnostic should be well known for having developed the PCR-DNA test that is used for HIV diagnostic purposes and the PCR-RNA test used for monitoring purposes for those who have already been diagnosed.
Besides the rapid diagnostic value of the test, the new test also stands out among other Herpes tests by its sensitivity and ability to determine which of the two genotypes of the virus a person has.
The new test works as a diagnostic tool for both Herpes Simplex-1 and Herpes Simplex-2.
"This should enable healthcare providers to give appropriate therapy in a more timely fashion," said Mayo Clinic microbiologist Thomas Smith, Ph.D. of the test is a press release.
Currently people within the adult industry who are known to have herpes must take Acyclovir, an antiretroviral drug that has some uncomfortable side effects but reduces transmission by 98 percent.
With the new testing, they may be able to escape the year-round medication and take the drug only during the times when the herpes virus becomes active.
Mitchell expects she'll be offering the test as soon as it makes it way to the Valley, which she says may take as long as six months.
