The INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test: a review

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid HIV tests have been widely adopted globally as an important component of HIV prevention and control programs. The INSTI™ HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test is a second-generation HIV antibody test, available in most countries for use from whole blood, serum, and plasma.

Areas covered: Available data on kit characteristics and current performance data on the INSTI™ HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test are presented together with six other rapid point-of-care tests (RPOCTs) for HIV antibody. Few published data are available providing direct comparisons of INSTI™ with other RPOCTs for HIV antibody and standard laboratory-based HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody assays. Existing data showed that INSTI™ has comparable performance to other RPOCTs but detected seroconversion later than standard laboratory-based assays.

Expert opinion: The good performance of INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test, its ease of use, the rapid availability of results (< 5 min), and the lack of specialized equipment required to use the kit make this kit a useful addition to the global market. The unique antigen and flow through technology contained in the kit make it a strong addition to HIV RPOCTs and to rapid/rapid algorithms used in many resource-limited settings.