BACKGROUND/AIM: In many hospitals in the world and in our country, the spread of 
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is so wide that nowdays 
vancomycin is recommended for empiric treatment of staphylococcal life 
threatening infections (sepsis, pneumonia) instead of beta-lactam antibiotics. 
The aim of this study was to determine the production of beta-lactamases in 
hospital and community isolates of staphyloococus aureus, i.e. hospital 
associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), the presence 
of homogeneous and heterogeneous type of methicillin resistance, and border-line 
resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (BORSA). The aim of this study was also to 
determine if there was a statistically significant difference between mechanisms 
of resistance in HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA.
METHODS: A total 216 clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the General 
Hospital in the town of Cuprija and 186 ambulance Staphylococcus aureus isolates 
from the community were examined for the presence of methicillin-resistance 
using disk-diffusion test with penicillin disk (10 ij), oxacillin disk (1 
microg) and cefoxitin disk (30 microg). Beta-lactamases production was detected 
by nitrocefin disk and beta-lactamase tablets. Determination of oxacillin 
minimum inhibitory concentracion (MIC) was done by agar-dilution method.
RESULTS: The prevalence of HA-MRSA was 57.4%, and CA-MRSA was 17.7% (p < 0.05). 
There was a higher rate of heterogeneous type of resistance among clinical MRSA 
isolates (11.1%) compared with ambulance ones (3.8%) (p < 0.05). The rates of 
beta-lactamases production were similar among hospital associated isolates 
(97.5%), as well as in the community associated isolates (95.5%) (p > 0.05). 
There were 4.6% of BORSA hospital isolates and 3.3% of BORSA ambulance isolates 
(p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The frequency of MRSA isolates in hospital was significantly higher 
than in community, as well as the heterogeneous type of resistance. The 
frequency of BORSA isolates and production of beta-lactamases were higher among 
hospital Staphylococcus aureus isolates, but the difference is not significant.