Genotypic Distribution of the Human Papillomavirus among Women with Cervical Cytological Abnormalities at the Sourô SANOU University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 6.8% of new cancer cases and 8.1% of cancer-related deaths. About 85% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and distribution of the human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in women showing cytological abnormalities of the cervix at the Sourô SANOU University Hospital (CHUSS) in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. This is a descriptive study of women recruited at the CHUSS. The cervico-uterine smear examination was carried out at the CHUSS Anatomy and Pathology Department for cervical cancer screening. The data were collected from women with atypical cells on their cervico-uterine smear. Cervicovaginal samples were taken from consenting women and HPV genotyping was performed using the HPV Direct FLOW CHIP kit at CERBA. We obtained approval from the ethics committee. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 26 software. The results of the study showed that 67.79% of the participants were aged between 50 and 65, a group that is particularly vulnerable to persistent infection with high-risk oncogenic HPV genotypes. Of the women screened, 40.7% were HPV positive and 29.2% had multiple infections. The most common genotypes were HPV 35, followed by HPV 18, 52, 58 and 66. These data highlight the need for increased surveillance and targeted prevention strategies among this female population.