Three small children were among the five members of the Alfonso-Slevin family of Everett, Washington, who were stricken with E. coli food poisoning. The health department is investigating the situation, but the source of the contamination has not been found.

The Alfonso-Slevins’ 16-month-old boy, Adelido, and their 3-year-old son, Carlitos, were hospitalized with bloody stool and fever. Their grandmother, who babysits for them, was hospitalized at a later date. Recently, Adriana, their 3-month-old daughter, has experienced bloody diarrhea, and their father, Adelido, has experienced symptoms, as well.

The family’s two sons tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and probably passed the infection on to other family members. Even though other family members tested negative for E. coli food poisoning, they may still have the infection.

“The problem with testing is that it has to be tested on the stool and only 50 percent of the time do organisms show up on the stool. So we have to test three different times before we get something, “