We examined the difference between Escherichia coli 0157 and non-pathogenic E. coli in their tolerance to spices. Various spices (5 g each) were homogenized at 25degreesC for 10 min with 5 ml of 70% ethyl alcohol, and the supernatant solutions obtained by centrifugation were used as spice extracts. When the E. coli strains were incubated with each spice extract at concentrations of 0.01% and 0.1%, a noteworthy difference was observed between the 0157 and non-pathogenic strains in their tolerance to nutmeg. The populations of the non-pathogenic strains could not be reduced, but those of the 0157 strains were remarkably reduced. Antibacterial activity by the nutmeg extract was also found against the enteropathogenic E. coli 0111, but not against enterotoxigenic (06 and 0148) and enteroinvasive (029 and 0124) E. coli. When we examined the antibacterial effect of volatile oils in nutmeg on the 0157 and non-pathogenic E. coli strains, all 0157 strains tested were found to be more sensitive to beta-pinene than non-pathogenic E. coli strains.