Evaluation of a transcription mediated amplification assay for detection of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 mRNA in clinical specimens.

•Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) are double-stranded DNA viruses that package viral mRNAs.•A real time amplified molecular test was designed to detect packaged viral mRNA.•This test exhibited high clinical sensitivity and specificity in an STD clinic population.