the cell membrane of an animal cell is damaged due to bacterial infection which function is most immediately affected by the damage

We have just seen that pathogens constitute a diverse set of agents. There are correspondingly diverse ranges of mechanisms by which pathogens cause disease. But the survival and success of all pathogens require that they colonize the host, reach an appropriate niche, avoid host defenses, replicate, and exit the infected host to spread to an uninfected one. In this section, we examine the common strategies that are used by many pathogens to accomplish these tasks.