Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
Tyler is a 16-year-old male who has come into your clinic with a low-grade fever, and large and painful red sores around his lips. He has a PCR test pending that was swabbed from the sores, as well as a blood culture with Gram stain, and nasal wash for examination by microscope.
-Tyler's results came back as being positive for Herpes simplex virus.Tyler's mother is mortified,as she does not believe her son is sexually active.After you explain that the presence of HSV does not imply sexual contact,you offer that the results are accurate.Which of the following reasons best demonstrates this line of thinking?

Question

Please read the clinical scenario, and then answer the question that follow to become familiar with the traditional NCLEX question format.
  Tyler is a 16-year-old male who has come into your clinic with a low-grade fever, and large and painful red sores around his lips. He has a PCR test pending that was swabbed from the sores, as well as a blood culture with Gram stain, and nasal wash for examination by microscope.
-Tyler's results came back as being positive for Herpes simplex virus.Tyler's mother is mortified,as she does not believe her son is sexually active.After you explain that the presence of HSV does not imply sexual contact,you offer that the results are accurate.Which of the following reasons best demonstrates this line of thinking?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

PCR tests are highly sensitive and specific, meaning they accurately detect the presence of a specific virus or genetic material. In this case, Tyler's positive result for HSV indicates that he has the virus, regardless of whether he is sexually active or not. Signs and symptoms alone may not always be reliable in determining the presence or absence of a specific virus. ELISA is not mentioned in the scenario, and apologizing for being certain without further testing undermines the reliable results of the PCR test.

Please Read the Clinical Scenario, and Then Answer the Question