Full House: A Historical Analysis of STI Transmission Among Adult Film Actors at a Singular Residence

Monday, June 20, 2016: 11:27 AM
Tikahtnu B, Dena'ina Convention Center
Katherine Kendrick , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Veronica Brown , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Caleb Lords , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
James Matthias , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Ian Henning , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Carina Blackmore , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Anna Likos , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
Kevin Sherin , Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
BACKGROUND: During a routine HIV investigation, Florida Department of Health staff identified a house (House A) in which over 150 individuals had at one point resided. Further investigation revealed that House A is used by the producer of a small adult film production company to board his actors. At any given time, the producer lives in House A with about three or four actors. Actor turnover is high, and it is not uncommon for actors to leave and return a short time later. This report describes sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission among male homosexual adult film actors residing in a common Florida residence. 

METHODS: LexisNexis® Accurint® was used to identify individuals who have resided in House A since October 2002, when the producer arrived, and to determine their residence start and end dates. Information on STIs, including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, was obtained from the Florida Department of Health’s Patient Reporting Investigating Surveillance Manager (PRISM). An infection was considered to be associated with residence in House A if the date of diagnosis occurred six months before an individual’s residence start date through six months after his residence end date.

RESULTS: Excluding the producer, 150 males resided in House A starting from September 2003 to July 2015. Age at residence start date ranged from 18 to 37 years with a median of 20 years. Length of residence ranged from 1 to 139 months with a median of 15 months. Most individuals (80%) lived in a state other than Florida before moving to House A, and most (54%) returned out of state after their residence. Forty-six individuals had a reported case of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and/or chlamydia. The number of infections per individualranged from 1 to 7 with a median of 2, and there were 92 infections total. Forty-two (46%) infections among 24 men were considered associated with residence in House A.

CONCLUSIONS: LexisNexis Accurint was a useful tool for identifying House A residents, a highly mobile and highly sexually active population. There is evidence of STI transmission among residents; it is unclear whether transmission is related to acting in adult films, or personal behaviors such as escorting or engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners. Settings like House A are good candidates for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and active STI screenings and may be an opportunity for public health officials to collaborate with high-risk groups to reduce STI rates in the community.