Leighton Kunkle has nerve damage in his hands and feet from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a side effect of food poisoning caused by the bacteria campylobacter. He believes he got sick from eating undercooked chicken in a restaurant.

"I spend the next few months in the hospital, in ICU, sitting there paralyzed from the neck down, had to learn how to walk again, eat again, talk again," said Kunkle.

The chicken that was tested nationwide was examined to see if it contained the bacteria campylobacter or salmonella, the two leading bacterial causes of food poisoning.

According to government figures, these bacteria sicken close to 3.5 million Americans a year and kill more than 700.

The testing was done on 525 fresh whole broilers from the top-selling brands Foster Farms, Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride, and Tyson, as well as 22 premium brands labeled USDA Organic or "Raised Without Antibiotics."

"We found that only 17 percent of the chicken we tested was free of both salmonella and campylobacter. And overall premium brands were a little more likely to carry salmonella," said Consumer Reports’ Geoff Martin.

Consumer Reports said its tests revealed an even bigger worry. According to testers, the bacteria were resistant to one or more antibiotics.

"That means if you get sick, some antibiotics might not work," said Martin.

Consumer Reports said you can protect yourself from getting sick by cooking chicken thoroughly. Experts said that cooking should reach at least 165 degrees to kill any bacteria.

Besides being careful about how you cook chicken, Consumer Reports also stressed how you have to be very careful when handling poultry raw. They said to store chicken in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees or lower. If you are not going to use it within a couple of days, then freeze the chicken.

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