As one of the nation's most prevalent sexually transmitted infections, genital herpes represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians, laboratorians and the patients they serve.  Over the past 25 years there has been increasing appreciation that the infection is widespread, impacting over 45 million Americans, and is misunderstood in terms of how the infection is transmitted from person to person, in terms of optimal diagnostic strategies, and in terms of the goals of management for infected persons.  Nucleic acid amplification tests now offer more sensitive methods for virologic testing for the virus and proper use of type-specific serological tests can be helpful in detecting infection an guiding therapeutic decision making.  This presentation will provide an overview of current genital herpes management, emphasizing the role of laboratory testing to improve diagnosis and guide therapy to control clinical manifestations of infection and reduce risk for transmission to others.