Background: Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is a ubiquitous pathogen associated with a wide spectrum of human infections. In recent decades, MRSA infections have been increasingly reported in individuals without established risk factors, infecting immunocompetent members of the community. This emergence is attributed to the production of various virulence factors, notably Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL).Objective: The aim of this study was to better understand the prevalence, antibiotic resistance profiles, and molecular characteristics ofS. aureusand MRSA in a tertiary care hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary hospital for a one-year period, from December 2020 to December 2021. A total of 161 consecutiveS. aureusisolates were collected. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested using BD Phoenix™ automated identification and susceptibility testing system. Molecular analysis was conducted via conventional PCR and conventional multiplex PCR for SCCmectyping.Results: In this study, 161S. aureusisolates were investigated, 60% (n=97) were characterized as MRSA, of which, 12% (n=12) were healthcare-associated methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(HA-MRSA) while 88% (n=85) were community-associated methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(CA-MRSA). No statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in antibiotic resistance trends between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA was detected. Multidrug resistance (MDR) amounted to 19% (n=30) of allS. aureusisolates, 14% (n=9) of methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureus(MSSA) isolates, and 22% (n=21) of MRSA isolates. SCCmectyping demonstrated a high prevalence of type IV (61%, n=59), followed by type V (32%, n=31), then type II (4%, n=4), and type III (3%, n=3). The PVL prevalence was 39% (n=25) in MSSA and 62% (n=60) in MRSA, 33% (n=4) in HA-MRSA, and 66% (n=56) in CA-MRSA.Conclusion: This study demonstrated the emergence of PVL-producing CA-MRSA in a tertiary care hospital, as well as the detection of PVL-producing MDR strains. This development prompts serious measures to be taken in order to sustain a healthy clinical environment.