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A Missouri man is accused of knowingly transmitting HIV virus to his sexual partner as well as 300 more people in two states.

David Mangum, aged 37, faces charge in Stoddard County Circuit Court in southeastern Missouri accusing him of exposing a 29 year old man to HIV. The virus gradually results in failure of immune system commonly known as AIDS.

The accused Mangum himself admitted that he had unprotected sex with more than 300 partners in Missouri and Texas after he learnt that he was HIV positive in 2003. Most of the partners he met were through ads on the Craigislist Internet site.

“This situation is a serious public health concern, Russell Oliver, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney, said in a statement. ”There are potentially 300 or more unknown victims that have been unknowingly exposed to HIV in this region. If any of those 300 individuals contracted the virus, all sexual partners of those victims have potentially been exposed," he added.

Reuters report that Mangum worked in a grocery store in Dexter, Missouri, was arrested after his former partner came to know that he was HIV Positive.

Dexter Police Detective Cory Mills said that Mangum confessed that he hid his HIV status from sexual partners because he feared they would reject him.

Mangum has been assigned a public defender and his bail is set to $250,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 26.