Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of bloodstream infection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and their antimicrobial susceptibility test results. Methods From January 2010 to December 2014, clinical and microbial data of patients admitted to Chinese PLA General Hospital for Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection were collected. Chi-square test was perfomed to analyze the clinical characteristics and drug resistance between MRSA and MSSA bloodstream infection. Results One hundred and eighty-three patients were recruited, including 118 males and 65 females with average age of (49.94±15.73) years. MRSA accounted for 59.6% in all of Staphylococcus aureus infections. MRSA also accounted for 50.8% of all community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. There were significant differences in male/female ratio, history of cerebral infarction, infection site, history of recent surgery, morbidity of sepsis shock, admitted department and mortality between MRSA and MSSA bloodstream infection (P< 0.05). Ampicillin/sulbactam, levofloxacin, rifampin were more susceptible to MSSA than MRSA (P< 0.05). Conclusion MRSA plays an important role in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. The differences in clinical characteristics and drug-resistance between MRSA and MSSA bloodstream are significant, which are indicative for the diagnosis and treatment on Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.