BOULDER, Colo. -- Boulder County Public Health is investigating a cluster of E. coli infections associated with students attending the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Since Sept. 23, BCPH has investigated eight related cases. Seven of the victims are CU students and one is a sorority adviser, according to The Boulder Daily Camera. Most of the affected students are members of the same sorority.

Initial investigations indicate that on-campus dining is not related to the illness.

BCPH staff is trying to identify the source of the outbreak and any additional cases among students and the public.

"Our No. 1 priority is to protect the public's health by identifying the source of this outbreak. Therefore, we are asking anyone who has had symptoms of diarrhea, specifically bloody diarrhea, since Sept. 20 to contact their healthcare provider or BCPH,” said Nisha Alden, a BCPH epidemiologist.

E. coli infection is a diarrheal illness caused by several types of E. coli bacteria. It is spread most easily when people eat or drink food or water contaminated with human or animal feces or from infected symptomatic individuals. E. coli is not spread through the air by coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms of E. coli infection include sudden onset of watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and occasional vomiting. About one-third of affected people develop fevers. The disease is generally mild in adults, but it can be severe and debilitating in the very young and the elderly.

E. coli 0157:H7 infections are generally not treated with antibiotics because antibiotics can increase the risk of more severe symptoms, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, resulting in acute kidney failure.

To prevent E. coli, it is also important to thoroughly cook meat and poultry, wash utensils and work surfaces after contact with raw meat, wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, and avoid unpasteurized juices and milk products.