Researchers have found a bacteria, which can help in cleaning up of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The newly found bacteria "NY3" has an "extraordinary capacity" to fabricate rhamnolipids, which can help collapse oil and then degrade some of its gravest toxic compounds.

The rhamnolipids, which is non-toxic to microbial plants, humanity and animals, can help put down polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogenic and mutagenic compound released with the oil spill, Oregon State University(OSU) said in a statement.

The OSU is filing for a patent on the discovery made by researchers from OSU and two Chinese universities - the Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology and Nanjing Agricultural University, Xinhua reported.

Xihou Yin, one of the researchers, stated, "Some of the most toxic aspects of oil to fish, wildlife and humans are from PAHs. They can cause cancer, suppress immune system, cause reproductive problems and damage nervous system."

According to researchers, the rhamnolipids created by NY3 strain seem to be stable under a wide range of temperature, pH and salinity conditions, and strain NY3 aggressively and efficiently degrades at least five PAH compounds of concern.

"The search for safe and efficient methods to remove environmental pollutants is a major impetus in the search for novel biosurfactant-producing and PAH-degrading microorganisms," the researchers added. (With Inputs from Agencies)