Porn actor has tested positive for HIV; industry clinic officials confirm a quarantine is in effect [Updated]

An adult-film performer has tested positive for HIV at a Sherman Oaks clinic frequented by those in the porn industry, according to clinic staff.

"We do have a confirmed adult-industry performer who tested positive for HIV. We are quarantining and testing all exposed partners to the individual who tested positive for HIV," said Jennifer Miller, HIV/STD counselor at the AIM clinic in Sherman Oaks, where the person was tested.

Miller would not say the gender of the person, what companies he or she worked for, when the person was tested or whether AIM had notified state and county health officials.

"We’re doing what we can to notify the individuals involved," Miller said.

[Updated at 2:30 p.m.: The positive HIV test is the first reported since last year when an adult-film actress, who industry officials said had worked rarely, was infected with the virus. No one else in the industry was infected as a result.

It was unclear immediately how far reaching the implications were in the most recent case.

An outbreak among performers in 2004 occurred when an HIV-positive male porn star, Darren James, infected three female performers with whom he'd filmed sex scenes. James, who had recently worked outside the U.S., was not aware of his positive status at the time he performed.

Dozens of performers who had contact with James and the three women needed additional testing, shutting down production for a month in the spring of 2004.

The case announced Tuesday may fuel the continuing controversy over whether the industry does enough to protect performers.

Much of the testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV is done at the AIM clinic.

Clinic officials, together with porn industry leaders, have long promoted regular testing of porn performers for sexually transmitted diseases an an effective way to prevent the spread of disease.

But Los Angeles County public health officials and state occupational health officials say the widespread lack of condom use on porn sets puts performers at risk for contracting HIV and other diseases.

State officials are considering strengthening rules requiring condom use in adult movies filmed in California. The next meeting on the issue is scheduled for Oct. 25 in Oakland.

Although state officials maintain condoms already are required under workplace rules concerning the transmission of bodily fluids, they are rarely used in straight porn films because producers say they depress sales.]

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Rong-Gong Lin II