"Segregated early weaning" (SEW) of pigs reduces exposure to pathogenic bacteria, but upon arrival at grower facilities pigs may be co-mingled regardless of farm of origin. The present study was designed to examine the effect of mixing (social) stress on populations of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium in SEW pigs. Piglets (7 days old; n = 28 in each of 2 replicates) were separated into 2 treatments (control and mixed groups) of 2 pens per treatment (7 piglets/pen). One (n = 1) "seeder" pig/pen was inoculated with 109 CFU of S. Typhimurium. Each seeder was placed with non-inoculated "contact" piglets (n = 6). A "contact" piglet was swapped each day between the "mixed" pens for 5 days; pigs in control pens were not exchanged. On day 5, the incidence of fecal Salmonella shedding was higher in the mixed contact pigs (P < 0.05). Rectal Salmonella and cecal coliform populations in mixed pigs were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than in control pigs but cecal Salmonella populations were not different. Mixed pigs were more susceptible to tissue invasiveness (i.e., Salmonella-positive tonsils and lymph nodes) than control pigs. These results indicate that social stress of weaned pigs may increase susceptibility to and/or fecal shedding of Salmonella. Food-borne Salmonella infections in the United States are estimated to cost the economy $2.4 billion annually (ERS/USDA, 2001). Approximately 69% of human salmonellosis is associated with the consumption of pork products (Frenzen et al., 1999). Salmonella is relatively common on swine farms and has been isolated from all stages of the pork production chain (Davies et al., 1999; Fedorka-Cray et al., 1997b; Rostagno et al., 2003). Salmonella is a threat to the pork industry not only from a food-safety perspective as a public health concern, but some Salmonella serotypes can cause clinical illnesses in swine, negatively impacting production efficiency and profitability (Schwartz, 1991). In today's swine production industry, segregated early weaning (SEW) of piglets (weaning at less than 14 days of age) has become commonplace because it reduces disease transmission between sows and piglets and results in increased weight gain for healthy SEW pigs (Alexander et al., 1980; Amass, 1998; Fedorka-Cray et al., 1997a). Under the conditions of SEW, it would not be unusual for piglets to be farrowed on multiple farms and be transported together to a separate facility hundreds of kilometers away. Concerns about animal health and safety have been raised, especially when piglets are weaned, grouped with piglets from other litters, and transported to a new location on the same day. This type of environmental and social stress coupled with an immature digestive tract (Shields et al., 1980) and decreased immune system performance (Blecha et al., 1983) suggests that SEW pigs could be susceptible to colonization by pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella. Little research has been conducted in SEW piglets regarding stress and adverse effects on production, behavior, or shedding of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Therefore the present study was designed to investigate the effects of mixing (social) stress on SEW piglet colonization by and fecal shedding of Salmonella.