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It's final. A decade after the Sars outbreak killed close to 800 people worldwide, scientists have fingered bats as the original carriers, or "reservoirs", of the disease that later jumped to humans.

They are also the likely culprits behind the deadly Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus sweeping the region.

Singapore scientist Wang Linfa, a key member of the research project, is convinced that bats will be the source of another infectious disease outbreak.

"I am almost certain that in the next 10 years, a new killer virus spread by bats will emerge," said Professor Wang, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases programme at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore.

You can bet on it

"I am almost certain that in the next 10 years, a new killer virus spread by bats will emerge."

PROFESSOR WANG LINFA, director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases programme at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore

BATS: LONG-LIVING AND VIRUS-RESISTANT

They have existed alongside dinosaurs, and are among the most abundant and widespread mammals on Earth.

Bats are good hosts for diseases which skip the species barrier and infect people. They carry pathogens ranging from measles, mumps, pneumonias and colds, to the deadly Hendra, Nipah and Ebola viruses.

More here:
Bats are original carriers of Sars virus: Research