Over 99% of cervical cancer cases are associated with genital infection by certain types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). To outline optimal vaccination strategies and HPV based cervical cancer screening, synthesized data on the genotype distribution of HPV is fundamental that is otherwise missed in Ethiopia. The aim of this study is to compile the findings on HPV genotyping in Ethiopia. Published articles were systematically searched using comprehensive search strings from PubMed/Medline and SCOPUS. Further, Google Scholar and the Google databases were also searched manually for grey literature. The included studies in the review employed 859 women (age range 15-85 years) with different kinds of cervical abnormalities. A total of 534 HPV sequences were reported; the proportion of high risk HPVs was varied 80.4-100%. The top five identified genotypes were HPV 16 (45.3%; 95% CI 41.1-49.6%), HPV 52 (9.4%; 95% CI 7.2-12.1%), HPV 18 (8.2%; 95% CI 6.2-10.9%), HPV 58 (6.9%; 95% CI 5.1-9.4%) and HPV 45 (5.2%; 95% CI 3.7-7.5%). The combined prevalence of HPV 16/18 was at 53.6% (95% CI 49.3-57.8%). In this review, HPV 16 in particular, but also HPV 52 and 18, warrant exceptional consideration in vaccination and HPV based screening programs in Ethiopia. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first of its kind to establish the genotype distribution of HPV from different kinds of cervical lesions in Ethiopia although it was synthesized out of few studies. Hence, additional nationwide data are needed to strengthen our finding.
Keywords: Ethiopia; Genotype distribution; HPV; Human papillomaviruse.