Traumatic Lumbar Puncture is Unlikely to Reduce Modern Molecular Detection of HSV Encephalitis (HSVE)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold-standard for diagnosing HSVE, but may be inhibited by blood contamination. We mimicked traumatic lumbar puncture and measured its effect on the molecular detection of HSV-1 in CSF. Clinically meaningful reductions in sensitivity were not observed. Pre-PCR processing allows sensitive detection of HSVE despite traumatic lumbar puncture.