Summary Clinical diagnosis of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) (GH) infection is insensitive and non-specific and requires laboratory confirmation. In this study we compared viral culture and the amplification of HSV DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with respect to turnaround time and cost. We compared 182 swabs submitted to our laboratory between March and May 2005, which were tested using MRC-5 cell culture, with 168 genital swabs submitted during the same months in 2006, and were tested by PCR. We concluded that PCR testing in our laboratory has significantly improved the turnaround time, with 68.4% of tests having been reported in less than 24 hours. This in turn significantly improved the service provided for the diagnosis of genital herpes without additional costs.