Climate change and zoonoses: A review of the current status, knowledge gaps, and future trends

•Climatic change drives zoonotic epidemics by altering host-pathogen interactions.•We reviewed predictions of various zoonotic risks based on future climate change.•Climate change may cause poleward expansion and seasonal changes of some diseases.•Limited research on impacts of wildfire on zoonoses.•Require adding socioeconomic risk factors into the models for better predictions. Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), especially those with zoonotic potential, are a growing threat to global health, economy, and safety. The influence of global warming and geoclimatic variations on zoonotic disease epidemiology is evident by alterations in the host, vector, and pathogen dynamics and their interactions. The objective of this article is to review the current literature on the observed impacts of climate change on zoonoses and discuss future trends. We evaluated several climate models to assess the projections of various zoonoses driven by the predicted climate variations. Many climate projections revealed potential geographical expansion and the severity of vector-borne, waterborne, foodborne, rodent-borne, and airborne zoonoses. However, there are still some knowledge gaps, and further research needs to be conducted to fully understand the magnitude and consequences of some of these changes. Certainly, by understanding the impact of climate change on zoonosis emergence and distribution, we could better plan for climate mitigation and climate adaptation strategies.