Potential value of immunoperoxidase technique in assessment of genital herpes.

Cervicovaginal smears from 86 patients with suspicious genital herpes were screened by routine Papanicolaou stain. The slides were then destained and restained by a commercial immunoperoxidase kit for the detection of herpes simplex virus. Results were compared with standard viral cultures performed on the same lesions. A statistically significant difference (P less than 0.05) was observed between the results of Papanicolaou-stained cytology and the immunoperoxidase technique. This study suggests that the immunoperoxidase technique is a rapid and reliable method of confirming a suspected diagnosis of herpetic infection. It is particularly useful in those patients without prenatal care who present in early labor when a rapid diagnostic test is required.