Hi Susan, I doubt very much that the intestinal discomfort your family experienced was caused by a little black fuzz on the side of your sourdough container, but I would recommend consulting a doctor if these symptoms persist. As far as your sourdough goes, any signs of mold in or around your sourdough starter should be taken as incentive to up your sourdough care routine in order to make sure the mold doesn't reappear. I would encourage you to take some healthy-looking starter from the bottom of your sourdough container and feed this twice a day at room temperature for a few days. Be sure to clean out your container thoroughly and allow to air dry before using again. Use boiling water to clean your container, if your jar can handle that kind of treatment. As you go through the next few days of revival feedings you want to not only make sure that no more mold appears, but also look to see that the starter is predictably doubling about 6-8 hours after you feed it, and has a pleasant aroma. Once your starter returns to its normal rising behavior and aroma, with no reappearance of mold, your starter should be good to go! 

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