- Used to differentiate a number of bacteria:
- Staphylococcus species (positive) from Streptococcus species and Enterococcus species (negative)
- Aerotolerant strains of Clostridium species (negative) from Bacillus species (positive)
- Members of the Enterobacteriaceae family (positive) from other Gram-negative bacilli
- Detects the presence of catalase, which catalyzes the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen
- Mix a small sample of bacteria with 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Positive if bubbles appears within 10 seconds
- Negative if no or only a few bubbles
