Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been identified as a cause of cervical cancer, other cancers of the anorectal area, and HPV-related diseases like genital warts and respiratory papillomatosis [1, 2]. HPV genotypes have been categorized into low-risk and high-risk. Low-risk genotypes are associated with anogenital warts, oral papilloma, and laryngeal papillomatosis, and high-risk genotypes are associated with cancers of the cervix, anogenital areas, and head and neck [1].

HPV genotypes 16 and 18 account for about 70% of all cervical cancer worldwide [3]. Other high-risk genotypes (HPV 52, 35, 58, 51, 45, 31, 53, and 56) have also been reported to cause cervical cancer [4]. Genotypes 6 and 11 are the low-risk genotype associated with benign lesions; anogenital warts (GWs) and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) [1, 2, 5].

The seroprevalence of HPV differs from one population to another, however, sexual behavior increases the exposure of HPV. In Colombia the seropositivity was high among women who had 2 or more sexual partners [6]. The seroprevalence of HPV among pregnant is markedly high; in Brazil the overall seroprevalence rates of four HPV types among primiparous women were HPV16, 9.0%; HPV18, 7.0%; and HPV 6 + 11, 7.7%. In South Africa, the seroprevalences antibodies to 16, 11 and 18 among pregnant women were 17%, 21% and 16% respectively [7]. Despite the high burden of HPV exposure much has not been documented among pregnant women in Sub–Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, little is known about the magnitude of HPV seropositivity among pregnant women. The determination of HPV current infection by HPV DNA among pregnant women is not routinely done, this may be due to a lot of clinicians avoid to take cervical swabs with a fear of inducing heavy bleeding, infection, and even increase the risk of an iatrogenic miscarriage [8].

Serum antibody to HPV is a useful marker reflecting cumulative HPV exposure hence understanding the burden [9]. Sub-Saharan Africa is reported to have low HPV vaccination coverage and little is known on the seroprevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 among pregnant women population. This is the first study in Mwanza, Tanzania to report the seroprevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18, the information that might be useful in understanding the burden and enforcing the current efforts in controlling the virus due to the fact that about 60% of patient who had anogenital HPV infection within 18months may have detectable antibodies to the specific HPV types [10].