Mr Marcus (courtesy of Facebook)

Mr. Marcus, a legendary African-American porn star and an 18-year veteran of the adult industry, has allegedly taken responsibility for the syphilis outbreak that has temporarily shut down the pornographic film business.

According to the Daily Mail, Marcus contracted the STD on set, covered up his positive test results and continued to perform with the infection.

Marcus reportedly told XBiz,  “I tried to cover it up…because I said it was like the scarlet letter. It’s the word. Syphilis, whoa.”

So far, a total of nine adult performers have contracted the disease since the outbreak was detected, but that number is expected to grow. The adult film industry is in the midst of a self-imposed 10-day moratorium on making movies.

Last year, an HIV outbreak also temporarily shut down the porn business. In the case, an African-American performer, Brian Pumper, was also accused of being the original source of the STD, although he vehemently denied the charges.