A MELBOURNE man who fantasised about catching HIV before he contracted the virus has spoken out about a gay subculture in which infection is seen as desirable.

The young professional, who does not want to be named, told The Age a combination of complacency about the virus and the wish to have unprotected sex with an HIV-positive man he loved led him to become infected.

"I wasn't actively seeking it, but maybe there were parts of me, dark corners, that wanted it, that were thinking, 'Let's just do it and get it over and done with and then it won't be an issue'," said the man, who is his 20s.

He is the first to speak publicly about taking part in behaviour that is known in the gay community as "bug chasing" — seeking to become infected with HIV. The phenomenon was described by witnesses at the recent committal hearing for Melbourne man Michael Neal, who was accused of deliberately spreading the virus.

One HIV-positive man told the hearing "bug chasing" was "a big thing out there" and that he had been pursued on the internet by a man who wanted to catch the virus from him.