“The Bug Chasers,” a new play currently being performed at the Carnival Fine Arts Center in downtown Miami, examines the phenomenon of HIV-negative men attempting to contract HIV by having unprotected sex with other men living with the virus (cbs4.com, 10/26).

Director Octavio Campos, who is gay and negative, examined this phenomenon for over a year and was surprised at the number of “bug chasers” he came across.

“The field research I did was pretty scary,” says Campos. “It was pretty intense and has a lot to do with the nightlife on South Beach.”

While he hardly condones this behavior, the director attributes the thrill-seeking fascination many have with playing this game of sexual Russian Roulette to the relatively manageable nature of the virus in the age of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).