Health officials tracking an outbreak of syphilis cases have followed the virus into cyberspace, identifying an Internet chat room as ground zero for infection.

Jeffrey Klausner, director of the sexually transmitted disease unit at the San Francisco Department of Health, said investigators quizzing the last seven homosexual men reporting syphilis infections were surprised to find that all seven found their most recent sexual contacts through a chat room on America Online: SFM4M, or San Francisco Men-For-Men.

The outbreak rang alarm bells for Klausner, who noted that venereal diseases like syphilis can boost a person's vulnerability to HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

"The challenge for us has been to contact, notify and inform individuals (when) we only have their Internet screen handles," Klausner said. America Online declined to alter its privacy policy and reveal the identities of the chat room regulars, but it did put Klausner in touch with PlanetOut, an online gay and lesbian community.