Positive HIV Test Halts Production at 5 Porn Companies, More Shutdowns Expected

Porngraphic video tapes are on display at the 5th Annual Adult Entertainment Trade Show July 14, 2001 in Los Angeles (David McNew/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Southern California's multibillion-dollar porn industry has been thrown into shutdown mode after an actor tested positive for HIV.

At least five adult entertainment studios have suspended filming as the industry awaits more news and testing, says Steven Hirsch, founder of Vivid Entertainment Group, one of the companies shut down. More companies are expected to follow suit.

The discovery was made at the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a Sherman Oaks clinic that caters to pornographic actors. The actor's identity and gender have not been released. Performers who had contact with the infected person are still being notified and tested.

The anonymous performer's positive HIV test is the first to be reported since last year when an adult-film actress was infected with the virus. According to the Los Angeles Times, no one else was infected

The last major scare was in 2004 when former porn star Darren James was found to have contracted the virus, infecting three other performers.

[virtualcontext]

shazbat - brilliant!

[rkalleman]

Yep, and it 'shows-to-go-you' that when you play with fire the flames ultimately burn you. IN this case, that billion dollar industry idiots support is remiss with the message "protection counts," as in put on the rubber gents, or ladies, and maybe, just maybe, your exploitation of sex in its most debase form (i.e., the total insult and degradation to females) might get your so-called performers (would-be actors) into an older age. Of course, such degradation to females doesn't count for males. I think we're already degraded and too focused on the loin chakra. Anyway, here's to health and keeping a stiff....lower. I mean, if some of you think that's what's important in this troubled world. As for the HIV infected, come on - no one's quite that stupid. It was intentional, at least from a karmic standpoint. In memory of John Holmes, et al., good riddance!

[virtualcontext]

Shut your filthy pie hole. You Aids deniers are a huge part of the problem. This has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt and confirmed millions of times. If you think HIV isn't the real cause of death, you should go out and get infected yourself and then report back to us. Moron.

[oigen]

This of course would be of major concern if there was even a modicum of truth in the HIV equals AIDS equals CERTAIN DEATH hypothesis. But is there? See http://******/cuKfWi