High prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among sexually active women in ouagadougou

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which in turn is the leading cause of cancer death in women in Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection (HR-HPV) and the distribution of genotypes encountered in the sexually active female population of Ouagadougou. Method: In four level-two health centers, we recruited 234 women who agreed to undergo an endocervical swab. HR-HPV genotypes were identified by real-time PCR. The Chi-square test was used for comparisons, with significance defined by a P-value < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of HR-HPV infection was 52.56%. Fourteen genotypes corresponding to 216 infections were characterized: HPV 59 (42/216), HPV 66 (30/ 216), HPV 56 (20/216), HPV 45 (20/216), HPV 58 (18/216), HPV 39 (18/216), HPV 51 (16/216), HPV 68 (14/216), HPV 52 (12/216), HPV 18 (12/216), HPV 35 (6/216), HPV 31 (5/216), HPV 16 (3/216), HPV 33 (0/216). HPV infection was statistically associated with age (P = 0.033) and with some specific sexual practices, such as oral sex (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of HR-HPV infection among women without lesions in our study is higher than that reported previously in studies conducted in Ouagadougou among women in the general population and those found in the rest of the world. Moreover, HPV16 and 18 were not the genotypes most frequently encountered.