Gardai believe a male prostitute infected with the HIV virus was operating in a number of towns across Ireland over the past two months.
Brazilian sex worker Jose Filho, 44, was caught by Gardai at a brothel in Letterkenny last Monday.
Mr Filho told Gardai he had arrived in Ireland in August and had been working in different towns across the country over the past ten weeks.
Sources have confirmed that Filho has worked in Galway, Athlone, Cavan, Sligo, Castlebar and Tipperary.
Mr Filho, who had no English, had been moved around by his Dublin-based pimps and was being charged €250 rent for staying in various brothels.
A leading Garda this week appealed to anyone who had received sexual services from Mr Filho in Donegal to go and receive medical attention.
Gardai raided the brothel in which Filho was operating on Monday and he answered the door wearing women’s underwear, a blonde wig ad wearing make-up.
A man on the premises at Ballymacool Terrace had just had sex with Filho and was questioned by Gardai before being released.
Residents at the terraced row of houses said they had observed and taken the registration numbers of up to 60 cars visiting the brothel each week.
They said many were married men from the locality and the busiest time for the brothel was between 1pm and 2pm.
Superintendent Vincent O’Brien, of Letterkenny Garda station, said
“I am making an urgent appeal to any members of the public who have used the services of prostitutes to seek urgent medical advice.
“This follows the confirmation that one prostitute who has been operating in Letterkenny is HIV positive,” he said.
Filho was ordered to keep the peace by Judge Paul Kelly and released from custody.
He told a special sitting of Glenties District Court that he has a return ticket to Brazil on November 27th next.