 Infection , bacterial or viral , particularly from Staphylococcus aureus , group A streptococcus and Pseudomonas spp . Reports at the 16th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in 2006 indicated that bacterial infections are seldom serious , but that ten to twenty percent of piercings result in local benign bacterial infection . The Mayo Clinic estimates 30 % . Risk of infection is greatest among those with congenital heart disease , who have a much higher chance of developing life @-@ threatening infective endocarditis , hemophiliacs and diabetics , as well as those taking corticosteroids . In 2006 , a diabetic woman in Indiana lost a breast due to an infection from a nipple piercing . Viral infections may include hepatitis B , hepatitis C and , potentially , HIV , although as of 2009 there had been no documented cases of HIV caused by piercing . While rare , infection due to piercing of the tongue can be fatal . Higher prevalence of colonization of Candida albicans was reported in young individuals with tongue piercing , in comparison to non @-@ tongue @-@ pierced matched individuals . 
