Health department officials have confirmed at least 14 boys and one adult were infected with E. coli while attending a Boy Scout camp in Rockbridge County.

As many as 60 people who attended the Goshen Scout Reservation last week reported becoming ill, and the number of E. coli cases could increase as test results are analyzed, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

All 14 boys were from Northern Virginia, and nine were hospitalized.

E. coli is a bacterium that typically lives in the intestines of humans. Most strains do not cause illness, but symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea and chills.

Dehydration is a common reason for hospitalization in E. coli cases, but it is unknown if that is why some of the boys were hospitalized. In severe cases, the infection can damage organs such as kidneys.

There were 1,447 Scouts and adult leaders attending the camp from July 20-26, according to Alan Lambert, scout executive for the National Capital Area Council, which runs the reservation.

The health department was notified of the outbreak of E. coli on July 27. Typically, symptoms appear within three to 10 days after exposure.

"We have asked unit leaders to contact those boys and adults who were in the camp last week to inform them of the situation and to seek medical treatment if they show any signs of the bacterial infection," Lambert said in a prepared statement.

It is unlikely any troops from Roanoke were at the camp, said Dan Johnson, the scout executive for Blue Ridge Mountains Council, which is headquartered in Roanoke.

"Scouts from our area don't really go there," Johnson said. "We are not aware of any Scouts from this council that were there."

Instead, Scouts from the Blue Ridge Mountains Council, which includes more than 16,000 Scouts in 21 counties and nine cities in Southwest and central Virginia, typically attend a similar camp in Pulaski County, Johnson said.

The Goshen Scout Reservation is about 30 miles northwest of Lexington and is run by the National Capital Area Council. There are six separate camps spaced along the shores of a 450-acre lake.

Health officials are looking at five of the camps as being involved in the outbreak, said Seth Levine, a foodborne disease epidemiologist with the health department.

Multiple troops have reported illnesses, and health officials are still looking for the source of the outbreak.

Water does not seem to be the source of the infection, said Dr. Douglas Larsen, director for Central Shenandoah Health District. The camp is part of Larsen's district.

All six water wells at the camp tested negative on June 21, just prior to the outbreak, Larsen said.

Investigators did find that one refrigerator was not at the proper temperature, but Larsen said he does not believe that was the cause of the infection.

Ground beef, which is the most common source of E. coli 0157, is being investigated as a possibility, Larsen said. It is the same strain of E. coli that sickened consumers of Kroger-brand meat earlier this summer and Taco Bell in late 2006.

Health officials in Northern Virginia are in the process of talking to those with confirmed cases about what food they ate. That could lead to some more clues, Larsen said.

The camp has remained opened, Lambert said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that E. coli sickens about 73,000 and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.