MANILA, Philippines - Though more gay and bisexual call center workers are getting infected with HIV due to unprotected sex, according to a study by the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), health experts say there is inconclusive data to prove that call centers are "breeding grounds" of HIV.

In a study, the PGH gave free rapid HIV tests to 406 male respondents from November 2009 to January 2010.

Researchers looked for respondents at gimmick hotspots in Metro Manila. The respondents' ages or locations were not provided.

Only 385 respondents disclosed their occupation. The sample comprised of men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly gays, bisexual males and "call boys" or sex workers.

Of the sample, 130 were MSM call center agents.

"You're seeing more and more gay men, bisexuals getting infected with HIV. But only few walk in to clinics to have themselves tested. So we were the ones who went out to administer HIV tests to them," explained Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco, an internal medicine intern at the PGH.

The study found that 48 or 12% of respondents were carriers of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), a virus that destroys a person's immune system.