Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (original) (raw)

Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (also known as hydrocarbon degrading bacteria, oil degrading bacteria or HCB) are a heterogeneous group of prokaryotes which can degrade and utilize hydrocarbon compounds as source of carbon and energy. Despite being present in most of environments around the world, several of these specialized bacteria live in the sea and have been isolated from polluted seawater.