Samples of beef taken from the Goshen Scout Reservation in Rockbridge County have tested positive for E. coli O157.

About 67 people who attended camp at the Boy Scout facility between July 20 and Aug. 2 have reported symptoms associated with the bacterial infection and 17 cases been confirmed. Sixteen of those are Scouts in Northern Virginia; the other is a Maryland adult.

Virginia Department of Health spokeswoman Michelle Peregoy said the E. coli O157 bacteria had been detected in raw ground beef at some of the camps at the reservation. It matches the strain found in some of the persons diagnosed with the illness, she said, but not all. Health officials will continue to search for other sources of the infection.

As a precaution, the reservation closed yesterday and will remain closed until further notice.

-- Lisa Crutchfield