Catalase test Would a false positive from the reaction betw

Catalase test : Would a false positive from the reaction between the inoculating loop and hydrogen peroxide be caused by poor specificity or poor sensitivity of the test system ? Explain

Solution

The false positive from the reaction of hydrogen peroxide and the inoculating loop would be caused by poor specificity.The formula for specificity is TN/TN+FP.
TN=true negative
FP=false positive
Such a false positive reaction would be due to a lack of specificity in the test system.The test system is sensitive enough,the problem being that other things going on in the test system also gives a \"positive\" result.Therefore,the issue here has to do with a lack of specificity.