Project Summary There is an urgent need for a point-of-care (POC) test to detect HSV that could be used to identify at-risk patients, in particular neonatal patients. A rapid, point-of-care (POC) test that could detect HSV infections would: (1) allow for immediate counseling and additional specimen collection for confirmatory testing, and (2) avoid having to create new laboratory infrastructure for widespread biospecimen testing. We propose develop a POC test for rapid screening of HSV in clinical specimens. This technology will also result in a significant cost reduction as compared to hospital and clinical pathology laboratory tests. The goal of this project is to develop an inexpensive and rapid (<30 min from specimen to result) screening assay for HSV infections.