Health authorities may have pinpointed the source of an E. coli infection that prompted the closure of a popular Boy Scout camp in Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service this morning said S&S Foods LLC, an Azusa, Calif., firm, is recalling about 154,000 pounds of frozen ground beef products. The USDA said the beef may contain E. coli O157:H7.

The Goshen Scout Reservation in Rockbridge County hosted several thousand scouts and adult leaders and staff starting late last month. At least 17 Boy Scouts and one adult reported becoming ill, including three scouts who attended the camp last week.

The 4,000-acre camp, located between Lexington and Staunton in western Virginia, includes Lake Merriweather.

Nearly 1,500 scouts and adult leaders and 200 staff were at the camp from July 20-26, and 1,310 scouts and leaders attended last week, the National Capital Area Council said.

S&S Foods said it is recalling 30-pound cases containing 1-pound bricks of ground beef. The beef was intended for institutional use and not direct retail sale.

The USDA said it discovered the problem through a joint investigation by the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Virginia Department of Health.