ClamXav is a good way to check your Mac for MALWARE:
Currently there are zero viruses affecting Mac OS X in public circulation, but there are other kinds of malware existing, that can infect your Mac, but that can be avoided via employing the proper security steps without the help of any anti virus software.
To learn more about malware in Mac OS X and what steps can be taken to protect yourself, read the following F.A.Q.:
That is not a sign of malware, more like incompatibilities between hard and software (wrong driver, bad OS X version for your MacBook, ...) or even a hardware fault.