Diagnosis of HIV-1 infection by near-infrared spectroscopy: Analysis using molecular clones of various HIV-1 subtypes

► HIV-1 was produced by transfection of HIV-1 molecular clones and their spectroscopic characteristics were analyzed by NIRS. ► The interaction between HIV-1 and water is different among HIV-1 subtypes. ► Different functional characteristics among HIV-1 subtypes may be related to variations in their interactions with water. ► NIRS represents a useful tool for the discrimination of HIV-1 subtypes.