Antigen Test Guide
What antigen tests are
Antigen tests are rapid tests that detect proteins from a pathogen, called antigens, in a sample. A sample is applied to a test cassette or strip, and a visible result appears, usually as lines in a result window. Antigen tests are used for infectious disease screening, including COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory and tropical infections. They differ from antibody tests, which detect the body's immune response rather than the pathogen itself, and from laboratory molecular tests, which amplify genetic material.
The company's infectious disease directory includes COVID-19, influenza, RSV, syphilis, dengue and malaria testing categories. The listed Syphilis Antibody Rapid Test is an antibody test. Those listings are directory-level evidence; no specification table for any antigen test is published on this site, because no title-consistent specification table for those products is published in the company's own material.
Formats and sample types
Antigen tests come in cassette format with different sample types. For COVID antigen tests, the company's category pages list swab formats, a saliva format and a saliva lolly format, alongside combo cassettes that cover more than one pathogen in a single test, such as SARS-CoV-2 with influenza A+B, and a wider combo that adds RSV and adenovirus. Those formats and combinations are category-page listings, not specifications.
Sample type matters for buyers because it affects how a test is used and who can use it. A swab sample is collected from the nose or throat, while a saliva sample is collected from the mouth. The instructions that accompany a specific product state the sample type and collection method for that product, and those instructions govern any specific test.
What buyers must confirm for their market
For antigen tests, availability, market access and documentation vary by product and by destination market, and the company's own material states that market access is subject to written confirmation by the customer. This guide therefore makes no statement that any antigen test is sold or accepted in any particular country, and buyers must confirm availability and documentation for their market in writing before ordering.
The company FAQ states that prices vary with supply and market factors, that international orders are subject to an ongoing minimum order requirement with no fixed figure published, that samples take about 7 days, and that mass production takes 20–30 days after deposit. Certificates are available upon request. Antigen test results are screening indications; questions about a result belong with a healthcare professional.
Antigen, antibody and molecular tests compared
Three test types dominate infectious disease testing, and buyers should understand how they differ. Antigen tests detect pathogen proteins directly and give a rapid visible result, which makes them suitable for point-of-care and home use. Antibody tests detect the body's immune response, which appears later than the pathogen itself, so they answer a different question: whether a person has been exposed or has mounted a response, rather than whether the pathogen is present now. Molecular tests amplify genetic material and are the most sensitive, but they need laboratory equipment and more time.
That comparison explains why antigen tests became the standard for rapid screening: they trade some sensitivity for speed and usability outside laboratories. A buyer sourcing antigen tests should understand that trade-off, because it shapes what customers expect from the test and what a result means in practice.
Sensitivity, specificity and what they mean for buyers
Sensitivity and specificity are the two standard measures of test performance. Sensitivity is the proportion of true positive cases a test correctly identifies; specificity is the proportion of true negative cases it correctly identifies. Both figures depend on how and where a test is evaluated, and figures from different evaluations are not directly comparable unless the evaluation methods match.
For trade buyers, the practical implication is to ask how any performance figure was measured, for which product, and in what setting, rather than comparing headline figures across suppliers as if they were equivalent. Where no performance figure is published in verified material, as is the case for the antigen products on this site, the buyer should ask for performance information in writing for the specific product and treat the absence of a published figure as a question, not as an assumption.
Questions buyers should ask about any antigen test
Before ordering any antigen test, a buyer should be able to answer five questions in writing for the specific product. First, which pathogen or pathogens does the test cover, named exactly? Second, what sample type does it use, and how is the sample collected? Third, how is the result read, and what does each possible outcome mean under the product's own instructions? Fourth, what documentation accompanies the test for the destination market, and has market access been confirmed for that market? Fifth, what are the packing configurations, shelf life, instruction languages, pricing and lead time for the order?
Those five questions cover the product, its use, its documentation and its commercial terms, and they apply to every antigen test regardless of pathogen. A supplier that answers all five in writing gives the buyer a complete basis for an order. A supplier that answers only some of them leaves gaps that should be closed before payment, not after delivery. The inquiry form on the Contact page is designed for exactly those questions, and an inquiry that names the product and the market gives the reader the specifics needed to respond.
Samples are the practical complement to written answers. A sample test lets a buyer check the cassette, the instructions and the packing before committing to a trade quantity, and the FAQ's sample lead time of about 7 days keeps that check inside a normal order cycle. For antigen tests in particular, where market access varies by destination, the sample check and the written market confirmation should both be complete before a seasonal or programme quantity is ordered.
Antigen testing and public health programmes
Antigen tests are often bought through public health programmes rather than through retail channels alone, because their speed and usability outside laboratories suit mass screening. A programme buying antigen tests will usually specify the pathogen set, the sample type, the packing and the documentation in a tender or a purchase specification, and suppliers are judged against that specification rather than against catalogue descriptions. That procurement pattern rewards suppliers who answer the five questions in the previous section completely and in writing, because a tender answer that leaves a question open is a tender answer that loses marks.
For trade buyers serving programmes, the practical lesson is to keep the written confirmations from the supplier with the programme's own records. Panel, sample type, documentation and market confirmation are programme requirements, not catalogue claims, and they should be filed as such so that later orders can be checked against them.