Several papers on the persistence of Salmonella infections and the duration of the Salmonella carrier state in various species have been published (Smith and Jones, 1967; Wood et al., 1989; Fedorka-Cray and Stabel, 1993; Bailey, 1994), however, little is known about the early distribution of Salmonella in pigs immediately after their oral intake. This knowledge is important for the decision on which tissue should be sampled for the Salmonella monitoring of swine herds at slaughter. Furthermore, it is needed in order to decide, whether a Salmonella finding at slaughter (either from live pigs in the lairage or from carcasses on the line) indicates a Salmonella-positive herd or is merely the result of a fresh infection during the transport and/or in the lairage.