Objective This study was designed to examine the clinical characteristics of bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by Staphylococcus aureus in a teaching hospital and the risk factors for 30-day mortality.Methods A single center retrospective cohort study was conducted for all the patients with BSI caused by S.aureus between 2008 and 2015.The data of clinical features,microbiology,and 30-day mortality were collected from the database of electronic medical records.Results A total of 121 patients with S.aureus BSI were identified.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA) was 17.4％ (21/121).MRSA BSIs were significantly associated with old age (≥65 years) (P=0.026),hospital acquired infection (P=0.035),respiratory tract infection (P=0.001),polyinfection (P=0.005) and inappropriate initial antibiotic therapy (P=0.001) than methicillin-sensitive S.aureus (MS SA) BSIs.The 30-day mortality was 18.2％ (22/121).Both univariate and multivariate analysis suggested that solid tumor (OR,8.932,P=0.004) and septic shock (OR,56.721,P＜0.001) were independently associated with the 30-day mortality.Conclusions The present study confirms that solid tumor and septic shock are more important risk factors than MRSA in mortality of patients with S.aureus BSI.