Is snooker sport?

The stars are still mortals and suffer from foodborne illness.

Judd Trump withstood a bout of suspected food poisoning to edge ahead of Dominic Dale as last year's runner-up returned to the Crucible.

The Daily Mail reports the 22-year-old English potter was unusually subdued in the early stages of his Betfred.com World Championship opener, and when he trailed 3-1 at the mid-session interval it seemed he was in trouble.

Trump finished the session in style with a rapid 68 break, doubling in the black in thrilling style.

There was a raucous reception for Bristol-raised Trump as he emerged for the match. Trump has won the UK Championship and soared to No 2 in the world rankings. He also drives a Ferrari, an indication of how his life has been transformed.

Trump began his third World Championship campaign as the sponsors' favorite to land the title, but the news that he had woken this morning feeling unwell raised questions over how he would perform against 40-year-old Dale, who was making his seventh Crucible appearance.

Trump's management believe he became sick after eating chicken, and he continued to feel ill after the session was over.

Trump wrote on Twitter: 'Not a good day led in bed, tryna get better for tomorrow. 1st time iv had food poisoning and hopefully the last.'

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens according to an American scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

Foodborne illness costs the UK an estimated £2 billion each year. Campylobacter is the leading cause of foodborne illness and is responsible for about 30% of cases in the UK. Campylobacter jejuni was responsible for more than 371,000 estimated cases in England and Wales in 2009, resulting in more than 17,500 hospitalizations and 88 deaths.

Scientists at Washington State University are studying the maternal antibodies that are passed from hens to their chicks. "These antibodies protect chicks from becoming colonized by Campylobacter in the first week of life," explained Professor Michael Konkel who is leading the research. "Our group has now identified the bacterial molecules that these antibodies attack, which has given us a starting point for a vaccine against Campylobacter," he said. "We have already found that chickens injected with these specific molecules – found on the surface of Campylobacter jejuni – produce antibodies against the bacterium. This response partially protects them from colonization."

"Preventing contamination of poultry at slaughter has not been effective at reducing illness in humans. It has been shown that about 65% of chickens on retail sale in the UK are contaminated with Campylobacter," explained Professor Konkel. "Ideally, the best way to prevent contamination is to stop chickens on the farm from becoming colonized with this microorganism in the first place, which could be achieved by vaccination. Our goal within the next 6 months is to test a vaccine for chickens that will reduce Campylobacter colonization levels. There's still a long way to go, but I'm confident our lab and others are moving in the right direction."

KTXS News reports that what started out as a good deed could have potentially bad consequences – after 40,000 pounds of contaminated chicken was mistakenly donated to charities in the Brownwood area two weeks ago.

After a rollover accident in Mills County, Texas, on February 10, 2012, Brown County Health Department received a report that 40,000 pounds of partially thawed and potentially contaminated chicken was being given away in Brown County.

Texas Department of Public Safety worked the accident scene until approximately 9:30pm and condemned the trailer load of chicken due to its partial thawing and possible health risks said Brownwood/Brown County Health Inspector Paul Coghlan. He explained that the chicken posed a hazard with consumption of either salmonella or food poisoning, both of which can be life threatening to anyone with a compromised immune system.

After the insurance company released the contents of the trailer to be disposed of on February 15th, someone from the company decided to take the chicken, not knowing of the health risk that it posed, to non-profit agencies such as Good Samaritan Ministries and the Salvation Army in Brownwood, according to Coghlan. Both of these agencies refused the donation because they are required to only buy or accept raw meats from licensed distributors. The man then went to local churches and donated many cases of chicken which were then passed on to individuals in need, Coghlan said.

As soon as Coghlan received the report about the man possibly donating the contaminated chicken, he and Dr. James Hays began trying to find where the chickens were distributed. They also notified the Brownwood Regional Medical Center emergency room so that cases of food poisoning or salmonella could be tracked. The man who donated the chicken was located and he gladly cooperated, giving officials a list of places he left the chicken, Coghlan said. Brownwood Police were also called in to assist in the search and interview of possible recipients of the tainted meat.

“The man was trying to do a good deed, unfortunately some people don’t know how to handle meat safely,” said Coghlan. “I feel like we would have seen something by now if anyone was going to get sick from the meat; however it does still have potential to be dangerous.”

Coghlan stated that some of the people who received the chicken would not give the meat back; however, they were warned of the possibility that they may become ill if they consumed it. They were also given tips on how to tell if chicken is contaminated, to look for air in the packaging which signals decay, a slimy feel to the meat, or a foul odor when the packaging is opened.

Of the 40,000 pounds of chicken on the trailer, less than 3000 pounds have been accounted for and the public is still urged to dispose of this chicken if received.

The risk of cross-contamination seems grossly underestimated.

A bus driver is blaming a Brooklyn chicken joint for sending him to the hospital with piece of wire lodged in his larynx.

Lajzer Grynsztajn, 50, said he nearly choked to death on a 2-inch coil he claims was cooked in a two-piece order he bought at JFK Fried Chicken near his Sunset Park bus depot.

“The more I think about it, I get angry. I almost died for something stupid like that?” said Grynsztajn, of Bensonhurst.

In a Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit, the 11-year Metropolitan Transportation Authority veteran is seeking unspecified damages for the near-fatal food fiasco.

Grynsztajn charges that the clerk who took his order seemed more concerned about him paying for the meal than why he was choking at the counter.

“He asked for $5 before I passed out or something,” said Grynsztajn.

The father of three said the scare happened Jan. 9 when he stopped at the Fifth Ave. eatery on his way to work and ordered two chicken breasts and fries.

“I felt a sharp pain, like I was choking,” he recalled. “I thought I was choking on a bone.”

After leaving the restaurant, he started coughing blood and was taken to Lutheran Medical Center, where a doctor discovered the real culprit, he said.

The wire was stuck so deep in his throat, he had to be put under anesthesia before it could to be dislodged, according to court papers.

A man who answered the phone at JFK Fried Chicken denied the bus driver’s charges.

“I think this guy is bull-------g us,” he said and hung up.