Impacts of meteorological factors on zoonotic infections in domestic cat and dog populations: A scoping review of international evidence.

Climate change is anticipated to increase the occurrence of zoonotic infections in domestic animals through changes in meteorological factors (e.g., temperature, precipitation) which create environmental conditions more favourable for pathogen persistence and transmission. The aims of this review were to identify climate-sensitive zoonotic infections in domestic cats and dogs, and the meteorological factors that influence these infections. The search strategy was applied to three academic databases and greyliterature sources to identify studies reporting on associations between meteorological variables and zoonotic infections or vectors in cats and/or dogs. Screening, data extraction, and analysis followed established scoping-review methods. After de-duplication, 40 studies met the eligibility criteria. Dogs were most commonly studied (31/40, 77.5%), followed by cats (5/40, 12.5%) and mixed cat-dog studies (4/40, 10%). Studies on non-vector-transmitted bacterial (n = 8), parasitic (n = 5), viral (n = 3) and fungal infections (n = 1) were represented. Vector-transmitted infections were also identified (27/40, 68%) Meteorological exposures most frequently analyzed were temperature (n = 39), precipitation (n = 24), humidity (n = 4), and windspeed (n = 3). Broadly, higher temperatures were positively associated with several vector-borne infections while precipitation was commonly associated with increased leptospirosis and some vector-borne infectious. Relationships between meteorological factors and zoonotic infection showed pathogen- and context-specific associations. Several studies reported relevant interactions (e.g., with season, land cover). Non-linear or lagged effects were often suggested but inconsistently modelled. Evidence indicates temperature, precipitation, humidity, and wind conditions can influence risk of zoonotic infection in population- and pathogen-specific contexts; however, geographical coverage and methodological consistency were limited.