An ether extract of normal human feces showed inhibitory effects on the activities of several mutagens in the Ames tests. By addition of the ether extract at an amount equivalent to 0.5 g of a sample of feces, the mutagenicity of 1.5 nmole of 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) on Salmonella typhimurium TA98 was completely inhibited. No killing of the bacteria was detected during this treatment. Other mutagens also subject to the inhibition were 2-amino-6-methyl-dipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-P-1), 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (Glob-P-2), 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-d]quinoline (IQ), benzo[a]pyrene and aflatoxin B1. Apart from these mutagens, which require S9 for their activation, the direct mutagen prepared from Trp-P-1 by treatment with S9 was also inhibited by the fecal extract. The inhibitory principles in the fecal extract were fractionated by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel and were identified as oleic and linoleic acids. Whereas these unsaturated fatty acids showed strong inhibitory activities, saturated fatty acids, i.e, stearic and palmitic acids, did not exhibit any inhibition. Although the physiological significance of these effects of oleate and linoleate is yet to be elucidated, this finding has indicated that care must be taken in screening mutagens by the Ames tests to avoid false negatives resulting from the presence of unsaturated fatty acids in the system.