INNOTEST® HIV Antigen mAb

Features & Benefits

User-friendly assay:

• High sensitivity: 10 pg/mL in serum
• Optimal specificity: 99.9% (after retesting)
• Detects all known HIV strains
• Low sample volume: 100µL
• Results in just 2 hours
• Neutralization reagents available (Article no. 81511; RUO; 2 vials).

The INNOTEST HIV Antigen mAb Neutralization Reagents kit contains reagents for confirmation of HIV p24 antigens in repeatedly reactive samples.  

  
Background

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is recognized as the etiological agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The virus is mainly transmitted by sexual contact, mother-to-child transmission, use of contaminated injection needles, and transfusion of contaminated blood. HIV/AIDS is one of the most important global illnesses.

According to figures published in the UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

One of the major steps in restricting the spread of the disease is to inform people about their HIV status. In the industrialized world 25% do not know they are infected with the virus, and in the developing world this figure is almost 90%.

Two different causative HIV viruses have been identified: HIV-1 and HIV-2. In addition, two broad strains within the HIV-1 family have been isolated, and designated as group M (for major) and group O (for ‘outlier’). Group M can be further divided into several subtypes, responsible for most HIV infections worldwide. As the transmission rate is much higher at the beginning of infection, it is important to detect HIV infection as early as possible.

 
Antigen testing

The core region is the most conserved part of the different HIV strains. The INNOTEST HIV Antigen mAb test, with its carefully selected antibodies to HIV-1 core antigen p24, will also detect the cross-reacting core antigen of the other types (HIV-2 and HIV-1 group O). The INNOTEST HIV Antigen mAb test can also be of value in the detection of HIV viral antigen in tissue culture.