This is an antioxidant enzyme responsible for eliminating molecules of hydrogen peroxide
from the cells that are produced during respiration. The reaction results in the release of
water and free oxygen (Palomino et al 2007). Two classes of catalase, thermolabile and
thermostable, appear in mycobacteria. In M. tuberculosis and M. bovis the enzymatic activity
is inhibited at 68°C; this contrasts with the remaining species of mycobacteria that maintain
enzymatic activity following the increase in temperature (Organización Panamericana de la
Salud 2008). Oxygen in the form of bubbles, caused by the activity of the enzyme in a