Q: Can iPod Touch get viruses and pass it on to a Mac through syncing?

How would I know whether or not my iPod touch has contracted any kind of virus.

What are common symptoms?

There are no viruses known to infect the iPod, so there are no common symptoms to know. Dodgy websites abound, but they cannot harm your iPod.

The worst thing an app can do is crash itself. It can't affect anything else.

Go ahead and sync it with your MacBook, there can be no harm.

By the way since it seems you are new to Macs and iOS, you would do well to read the following from Apple:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is/security.html

and the following User Tips

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1848

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1982

They are not specific to iOS but the ideas are very similar. If you read them you will gain quite a bit of knowledge not just about viruses, but all sorts of malware.

There is an abundance of misinformation out there so arm yourself with facts!

First, I would recommend not having any important information on your iPod

Second, always be aware of the Wifi that you are using, especially with the Mac, i have both an iPod and a Mac, when i need to do something online with public Wifi i always use my iPod in order to be safe, as long as your careful you shouldent have anything to worry about, and don't forget that you should backup and restore your iPod at least once a month to keep things running smoothly

i got the virus tapsnake on my ipod touch...