[The autoinoculation test. False-positive reactions caused by herpes simplex virus].

The autoinoculation test has been used as a diagnostic procedure in patients with chancroid-suspected genital ulcerations. In four of 13 patients with a positive autoinoculation test, herpes simplex virus type 2 was isolated from the primary lesions. In two of the cases this virus was also isolated from the inoculation site, and one patient developed a recurrent herpetic eruption here. Two patients were proven to have chancroid. Three of the remaining seven patients developed recurrent herpes genitalis later. It is concluded that the autoinoculation test should be avoided as a diagnostic procedure because of lack of specificity and risk of inducing recurrent herpes simplex at the site of inoculation.