Serologic testing for herpes simplex virus: Ready for prime time? (CME)

Key Points

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ACCREDITATION
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of CME2, Inc. ("cme² ") and Contemporary OB/GYN. cme² is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

cme² designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After completing the following CME activity, the reader should be able to:

TO EARN CREDIT FOR THIS ACTIVITY
Participants should study the article, log onto http:// http://www.modernmedicine.com/, click on the "CME/CE Center" tab at the top of the page and type in keyword: COG102007. Participants will be taken to the activity, where they must pass a post-test and complete an online evaluation. After passing the post-test and completing the online evaluation, a CME certificate will be automatically generated. The release date for this activity is October 1, 2007. The expiration date is October 1, 2008.

DISCLOSURES
Editors Elizabeth A. Nissen, Paul L. Cerrato, and Julia Talsma, and Instructional Design Consultant Richard Currier, PhD, disclose that they do not have any financial relationships with any manufacturer in this area of medicine.

The manuscript reviewer discloses that she has no financial relationships with any manufacturer in this area of medicine.

Dr. Gardella discloses that she has no financial relationships with any manufacturer in this area of medicine. Dr. Brown discloses that he is on the Speakers' Bureau of GlaxoSmithKline.

RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
cme² has implemented a process to resolve conflicts of interest for each continuing medical education activity, to help ensure content objectivity, independence, fair balance, and that the content is aligned with the interest of the public. Conflicts, if any, are resolved through a peer review process.

UNAPPROVED/OFF-LABEL USE DISCUSSION
Faculty may discuss information about pharmaceutical agents, devices, or diagnostic products that are outside of FDA-approved labeling. This information is intended solely for CME and is not intended to promote off-label use of these medications. If you have questions, contact the medical affairs department of the manufacturer for the most recent prescribing information. Faculty are required to disclose any off-label discussion.

Underdiagnosis and lack of symptoms are fueling the genital herpes crisis in the United States. Of the 1.6 million new cases of genital herpes in this country each year, most are transmitted by persons who are unaware that they're even infected-because their infections are subclinical or undiagnosed. But accurate serologic tests to detect HSV antibodies and distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection exist and in our opinion should be used routinely to diagnose herpes infections in symptomatic persons and in asymptomatic persons at risk for having or acquiring the infection.