Catalase is an enzyme that breaks hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas. Hydrogen peroxide is often used as a disinfectant in wounds, the bubbling that is seen is due to the evolution of oxygen gas. Hydrogen peroxide can wreak havoc in a cell, therefore any cell that uses oxygen or can live in the presence of oxygen must get rid of the peroxide. One of those ways is to make catalase. Organisms which produce catalase will bubble when placed into hydrogen peroxide. The catalase test is primarily used to distinguish among Gram-positive cocci: Member of the genus Staphylococcus are catalase-positive, and members of the genera Streptococcus and Enterococcus are catalase-negative.
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