SUMMARYAn in vitro model has been developed to study the effect of soluble bacterial products on the viability and detachment of skin cell types utilized for cultured grafts. Microbial products prepared from clinical isolates of bacterial species which most commonly colonize burn lesions showed marked variation in their ability to detach and kill both keratinocytes and fibroblasts. All three isolates ofAcinetobacterspp. tested were effective in causing detachment and death of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, whereasEscherichia coli, Proteus mirabilisandEnterobacterspp. tested had little, or no, effect on detachment or viability for either skin cell type. FourStaphylococcus aureusisolates elicited variable strain‐dependent results with regard to detachment and viability. One isolate possessed activity specific for keratinocyte detachment and death. These results indicate the possible undesirable effects such bacterial species may have on graft success in colonized burn wound