E. coli O157:H7 ruins nearly everything – lettuce, spinach, swimming and hamburger cookouts. So, I suppose the following announcement should come as no surprise this fine summer morning:

The Virginia Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 at a Boy Scout camp in the Rockbridge County community of Goshen.

Eleven cases of E. coli O157 infection have been confirmed and about 20 other people have reported illness since attending the camp from July 20 to July 26, the department said. Most of those affected live in Northern Virginia or other areas around Washington.

It will be interesting to see once the Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genetic patterns are uploaded to PulseNet if the E. coli O157:H7 in the Boy Scouts matches any of the recent hamburger and red meat recalls.