Which description matches the typical presentation of listeriosis?

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Listeriosis often presents very subtly. In many people, there are no noticeable symptoms at all, and when symptoms do appear they’re usually mild and non-specific—fever and headache are common, sometimes with malaise. Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea are not typical and occur in only a small minority of cases (less than 5%). This pattern helps explain why the best description is that most cases are asymptomatic, with only mild, non-specific signs such as fever or headache when symptoms do occur. More severe illness can occur in pregnant women, older adults, or immunocompromised individuals, or as invasive disease like meningitis or septicemia, but that reflects a different, less typical course rather than the common presentation. The other options imply severe or specific symptoms that do not represent the usual, milder presentation.