The increase in drug resistant tuberculosis, and particularly multi-drug resistant tuberculosisrn(MDR-TB) as well as the neglect of discovery and development of new anti-TB drugs that arernactive against TB/ MDR-TB at present, increased the need for knowledge of the prevalencernand patterns of primary resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in therncommunity. A total of 76 M. tuberculosis isolates were recovered from sputa specimens ofrnnewly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and confirmedrnby culture and standard biochemical tests on L-J media. The specimens were collectedrnbetween February and April 2001. Drug susceptibility testing was performed according to thernindirect proportion method. The prevalence and patterns of primary resistance wererndetermined and any association between patients' characteristics (sex and age) and primaryrnresistance were analyzed using chi-square test. The results of the present study showed thatrnprimary mono-resistance was highest to streptomycin (14.5 %) followed by isoniazid (2.6 %).rnAll isolates were susceptible to rifampicin and ethambutol. Primary resistance to any drugrnwas found in 14 of new PTB patients (18.4 %); and any primary resistance to streptomycinrnwas 15.8 %; any isoniazid resistance was 3.9 %; any rifampicin resistance was 1.3 %, and itrnwas nil to ethambutol. The rate of Primary MDR-TB was 1.3 %. Single drug resistance wasrnhigher in males (n=8, 61.5 % of mono-resistant cases) than in females (n=5, 38.5 %). Primaryrnresistance to a single drug was found in 4 patients in the age group 15-24 (30.8 %), 4 in therngroup 25-34 (30.8 %) and 5 in the group 35-44 (38.5 %). Thus, the proportion of patients thatrnhad primary mono-resistance was similar in all age groups and the age groups between 15-44rnwere totally affected by primary drug resistant strains. Primary MDR-TB (with HRS pattern)rnoccurred in one patient (1.3 %) belonged to the age group 25-34. Single drug resistance tornstreptomycin was found in 8 males (73 %) and in 3 female patients (27 %). Isoniazid monoresistancernwas found only in female patients (n = 2, 100 %). The age range of TB patientsrnthat had primary resistant isolates of M. tuberculosis were between 15-44 years, with meanrnage of 27.4 years. However, primary resistance was not associated with age and genderrn(P>0.05). The drugs isoniazid, ethambutol and rifampicin remain drugs of choice to treat thernmajority of drug susceptible TB cases in Bahir Dar. The results of this study underscore thernneed for periodic monitoring of drug resistance and improving in TB control performancernboth at local and country level.