Which term describes the alteration of a cell's state due to pathogen attack?

The term "pathogenesis" refers specifically to the biological mechanism that leads to the development of a disease following the invasion of a pathogen. It encompasses the processes by which pathogens cause illness and how these infectious agents alter the normal functions of cells, leading to disease states. Understanding pathogenesis is crucial in biology as it incorporates the interaction between the pathogen and host response, detailing how infections can disrupt normal cellular processes.

In contrast, other terms such as "disease state" generally refer to the condition resulting from an illness, but do not explicitly highlight the process by which a pathogen causes changes at the cellular level. "Inflammation" is a protective response by the body's immune system to injury or infection, which may be a part of the pathogenesis process, but does not describe the complete alteration of a cell's state due to pathogen attack. "Antigenic shift" is a term related to viruses, particularly in how they change antigens and essentially relates to their evolution, but does not pertain directly to the process of cellular alteration caused by an active infection.