Question:
I've never understood what people mean when they talk about different STRAINS of the virus, I mean, different strains of type 1 and type 2.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Hope you're all doing OK. :)

Answer:
Yep we are talking about different strains of the different strands. What could be more confusing?

And here I thought you'd know more about this than me but I do admit to being a complete research nerd.

Just as there are varied and differing strains of HIV there are differing mutated strains of both hsv 1 and hsv 2. Some strains are milder than others and some respond to antiviral meds while others are more severe, create more ob's and refuse to respond to the antiviral meds.

I don't believe that the herpes specific testing identifies anything other than the strands themselves.

My guess is that as the viruses move from one host to the next they adapt and mutate to their environments becoming stronger and better able to assert themselves and to replicate.

Answer:
Thanks for the reply (not sure why you'd assume I'd know more about it than you :confused:).

Anyway, so if there's different strains of it, then if we meet a partner who also has it, but we both have different strains, then we can both catch each other's strain? (Is any of this making sense??!!).

I used to assume that if 2 people who have just met both had type 2 genitally then that's good news because they can't catch what they've already got.

But I guess that's wrong?

Answer:
Yes we can get multiple strains and re-infect each other. It's a double whammy.

I already hear that we don't want to get re-infected with the same strain because it can cause new ob's.

That is why it is recommended that even if both partners have hsv they should use condoms to keep from passing the active virus back and forth which would increase the frequency of ob's. The risk of contracting a new strain is that it could cause more frequent and severe ob's. Of course your's could be worse than your partners and they could end up with the worse symptoms.

It sucks.

Answer:
That's what I thought I'd read somewhere - thanks for clearing it up.

But I agree, it sucks!!!!!