Climate-sensitive zoonotic diseases transmissible by companion animals: A scoping review protocol

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325568 June 10, 2025 5 / 8 screening are included in this protocol to support agreement between reviewers. Data will then be extracted, analyzed, and presented in graphical and tabular formats. Disagreements between reviewers at each stage of the selection process will be resolved through discussion. An addi- tional reviewer will be consulted if consensus cannot be reached. Agreement between reviewers will be determined using Cohen’s kappa coefficient statistic (κ). A κ statistic of equal to or greater than 0.7 will be considered an acceptable level of agreement between reviewers. The pilot screening will be conducted with 50 articles for Level 1 screening, 20 articles for Level 2 screening, and 5 articles for data extraction. After pilot screening is complete, reviewers will address any conflicts in throughout the screening process by discussion. An additional reviewer will be consulted if consensus cannot be reached. The following questions will be used for primary, Level 1 screening of article titles and abstracts. If reviewers respond “no” to any of the following questions, articles will be excluded from this review. 1. Is the title/abstract in English? 2. Does the title/abstract describe research that used primary or secondary data? 3. Does the title/abstract consider companion animal zoonotic diseases in cats, dogs, or humans as an outcome of interest? 4. Does the title/abstract describe the impact of a climatic factor on companion animal zoonotic diseases in cats, dogs, or humans?

The following questions will be used for secondary, Level 2 screening of full-text articles. If reviewers respond “no” to any of the following questions, articles will be excluded from this review. 1. Is the full-text provided in English? 2. Does the study use an observational or experimental study design? 3. Does the full-text consider companion animal zoonotic diseases in cats, dogs, or humans as an outcome of interest? 4. Does the full-text describe the impact of current or future climatic factors on the risk of companion animal zoonotic dis- eases in cat, dog, or human populations? Data extraction After eligibility screening, reviewers will independently extract data from the full-text of relevant articles using Covidence™ and a data extraction form (S3 File). Reviewers will also conduct a pilot test on the a priori data extraction form using the first 5 articles to ensure clarity in wording and that the desired data elements for addressing the review questions are captured. The authors of relevant articles will not be contacted to request missing data. As the scoping reviews evolve, the data extraction form will be iteratively updated, if necessary, through regular meetings between reviewers. The reviewers will address any conflicts through discussion. An additional reviewer will be consulted if consensus cannot be reached. Data presentation Results will be presented in two publications: one regarding companion animal health outcomes and another on human

health outcomes. In the final scoping reviews, PRISMA-ScR flow diagrams will depict the results of the search strategy and study selection processes [24]. The data extracted from relevant articles will be depicted through a descriptive sum- mary, using a combination of figures, tables, and text, as appropriate. Findings from relevant articles will also be stratified by climate zones (i.e., tropical, subtropics, temperate, and cold). The authors will target Open Access journals to promote accessibility for various organizations and audiences.